The Lost Uchiha: Ashes and Fang
by Starfang's Secrets
Summary: Now that Uchiha Itachi is dead, the Fourth Shinobi War over, and Uchiha Sasuke back in Konoha, all seems well in The Village Hidden in the Leaves. Especially now that Sasuke has found love with a certain Hyuuga Hinata. That is, however, until Kiba stumbles upon the Uchiha's last secret. Mainly Sasu/Hina and Kiba/OC, with a little Naru/Saku, Shika/Tem, Neji/Ten, Sai/Ino for kicks :)
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters. However, this story and plot, as well as my OC and any other characters that i create are mine, and mine alone.

Hi! Star here!

This is my very first story on this site, so please treat me kindly, but i so appreciate constructive critisim. If at any time you get confused, let me know and I'll try to clear things up. Also, this is the prologue, so my OC is not here yet, so it will be focusing on Sasuke and Hinata at the moment. If you don't like the pairing, don't read, but I don't really recommend that, because you might just come to like it. Plus you can't really judge a story on the pairings. It should be on the quality of the story. So! Without further-a-do! I give you, The Lost Uchiha!

Enjoy!

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Prologue

Hyuuga Hinata jumped down in front of the apartment door and gave a small sigh. It was late. The mission had gone longer than she had thought and the sun had already set. She knew she should go home, but it was on this day, every year, that he got severely depressed. She didn't know why, he never told her, but that was okay. She loved him, so she would continue to support him when he needed it, and continue to love him. He was her boyfriend, after all.

_Fiancé_, she corrected mentally with a smile as she looked down at her left ring finger. There, on her delicate finger, rested a simple engagement ring. It consisted of a white gold band with an amethyst stone in the middle, accompanied by a small diamond on either side. It was unique, like their relationship, yet simple, just like her. She loved it.

Taking the key he had given her from around her neck, she slipped it into the lock and opened the door, entering the threshold. "Sasuke-kun?" She called into the dark room as she closed the door behind her. She didn't turn the lights on, didn't need to. She was a ninja, a kunoichi, and she had superb night vision. Plus she was a Hyuuga, which made the dark seem like day even without the activation of her Byakugan.

"Sasuke-kun?" She called again when she got no answer; she knew he was here, she could feel his lightning-tinge presence in the air. She had never been able to get rid of the blasted honorific, as he so lovingly put it, but he knew it didn't mean she loved him any less. Hinata was just a polite person.

When she still didn't get a response she sighed and made a few hand signs before muttering, "Byakugan," activating her kekkei genkai. Her vision turned black and white as she was suddenly able to seen 360 degrees around her. With out moving her head, she spotted her silent fiancé in his room.

_I should've known. _She thought with a small smile as she made her way towards him. Making her way down the hall, Hinata stopped briefly in front of his room door before opening it gently. "Sasuke-kun?" She whispered. It took her a moment to spot him since he was so still.

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on the floor, his back leaning against his bed. One of his legs was stretched out before him, the other bent upwards with one of his arms resting on top of it. His other arm hung limply against his side as his head rested against the side of the mattress. His obsidian eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. The only piece of clothing on him was a pair of sweat pants.

Hinata blushed, she couldn't help herself. Even after three years of dating, she would never get used to the site of him. She still couldn't believe it, that he was hers. They were, and still are, polar opposites. Such an unlikely pairing, but they had ultimately fallen in love. A love that had been strong enough to bring Sasuke out of the darkness that had been his life for so long.

It had started sometime after Naruto had brought him back to Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. It was after Sasuke had defeated Itachi an learned the truth…which she had learned later on, much to her utter disbelief. He had been hateful to everyone save for Naruto, and strangely herself. When asked, he merely said she wasn't "annoying." From there, a mutual understanding was established. They were both quiet people who had been through quite a lot, though Sasuke had been through significantly more, heartbreaking scenarios. It had come as an enormous shock to everyone, Hinata included, when the ex-Avenger had asked her out when they were eighteen, just under two years of his return. What was even more shocking was that she said yes. Naturally, this caused all of his fan girls to try and get rough with her, but let's be honest. How could one stay mad at Hyuuga Hinata? It was like a sin, so they had quickly stopped that. Especially when Sasuke had threaten them with bodily harm. It would have made the girls swoon if he hadn't been so scary when he had made the threat.

Now here they were, three years later and engaged.

Slowly, Hinata approached and kneeled beside the raven-haired shinobi. When he still didn't respond to her, she gently reached out and touched her fingers to his face, turning it slightly so he would face her. "Sasuke-kun?" She asked softly. She didn't ask what was wrong, because she knew he wouldn't tell her. He never did. March 27th was a day shrouded in darkness for the two of them.

Obsidian met pale lavender opal filled with love and concern and he knew that now, now that he knew she would be his forever, that he could tell her his last secret. He closed his eyes and sighed softly. "Hinata…"

"Yes?" She asked softly, tilting her head to side slightly. She watched as his eyes slowly opened and his intense gaze pierced her. He leaned in and her eyes fluttered closed as he brushed his lips against hers, light at first before it became more passionate. They were both out of breath when he pulled away. Leaning his forehead against hers, Sasuke reached up and gently ran his fingers through her hair. He watched the already tomato red blush on her face darken, her eyes still closed, and smirked despite himself. He was pleased beyond belief that only _he _could make her blush this hard.

"I have something to tell you." He said softly and watched as her eyes snapped open, wide with surprise. He smiled a real smile then, though briefly, at her innocent expression of shock. His Hinata was so cute sometimes.

"W-what is it?" She asked softly, containing her joy. Yes, he was finally trusting her, but it was obviously a very, very gloomy subject, and now was not a time for joy.

Again he closed his eyes, but in a movement so fast that it caused Hinata to squeak in surprise, Sasuke pulled her into his lap with her back to his chest as he held her close.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Hinata squeaked in surprise, but calmed down when his arms tightened around her. Comfort. He was seeking comfort, and that worried her. He was a very strong man, and only sought comfort when something struck really close to home.

"Itachi-nii wasn't my only sibling." He said softly into her hair. She stiffened in shock, but otherwise remained silent as she waited for him to continue. "I had a younger sibling, a little sister; my imouto. She was two years younger than me and her name was Uchiha Haine. She was the only Uchiha I knew of that had grey eyes instead of black. She was always so loud, and happy. Naruto reminded me a lot of her." Hinata giggled softly at that and Sasuke smirked. He took a deep, shuddering breath, breathing in her scent. Lavender, with a hint of vanilla. The smirk fell away as the dark memory resurfaced at full force.

"It happened a few days before the…_incident_." He said softly, almost whispering. Hinata had to strain her ears to catch every word. "For the longest time I had thought that it was aniiki's doing, but after discovering the truth, I knew he would've never done anything to harm her." He swallowed audibly, his arms tightening around the only woman he had ever loved. When he spoke again, his voice was noticeably rougher, thicker with emotion.

"I was to find her for dinner." He began. "I remember being so upset that Itachi-nii had told me to get her. I had just entered the Academy a few months before, a ninja in training. Ninja's were not meant to look for their sister for dinner." Hinata smiled softly at that, knowing that he wouldn't see her. "She was supposed to be in the inner courtyard, playing with the flowers, looking for worms. She was such a tomboy and girlie-girl all at the same time, it was really confusing as to which to peg her as." He chuckled softly at that, and it was such a sad sound that it broke Hinata's heart. "When I reached it, however, I couldn't see her right away, so I called out. When she didn't come, I decided to look for her."

This was it. Hinata could feel it in the way his body tensed around her, the way his breathing became more labored as it brushed against her hair and the nape of her neck. She placed her small hands on his arms, rubbing them soothingly over his skin. Slowly, he relaxed, though not all the way.

"There was so much blood, Hinata." He whispered shakily, his arms squeezing her so tight that it was almost too hard for her to breath. "So much of it…I screamed. I couldn't help it. Never had I seen so much crimson…and I was scared. I couldn't find Haine-chan anywhere. I looked all over the inner courtyard, and when aniiki came rushing in, I cried into him, begging him to find her, to save her." Sasuke let out a shaky breath. "But he couldn't; she was already gone. Medic ninjas that my father and the Hokage had sent over confirmed that it was indeed her blood. The day before had been her birthday. She had just turned five."

Slowly, Hinata turned herself in his arms until she was facing him. It was then that he saw the tears running down her face, and when he noticed that a few had escaped his own eyes. Gently, the shy Hyuuga cupped his face in her hands and kissed his tears away before kissing him lovingly on the lips.

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke" She sobbed, her eyes full of anger at the unfairness of it all, sadness at his loss, and empathy. Hinata understood. He knew she did. Being an older sibling herself, she knew the pain she would feel at losing her younger sister would be far more severe than anything she could ever imagine. "I'm so sorry." She repeated before kissing him again, slowly taking away the pain and guilt he had held within himself since he was seven-years-old.

Uchiha Sasuke, one of the world's most powerful shinobi, had never felt so vulnerable, or so loved in his entire life until now. He made sure to show her how much he loved her in return.

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There ya go! So, what did you think? Review please!

Ja ne!

~Star


	2. Rescue and Revelations

Disclaimer: I do **NOT** own Naruto!

Hey everybody! Here's the next installment for The Lost Uchiha! Enjoy!

~Star

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Chapter One: Rescue and Revelations

"Yeah, baby! That's what I'm talking about!" Inuzuka Kiba shouted into the air as he rocketed through the trees in the surrounding forest, his voice full of exuberance as Akamaru ran beside him. His furry companion gave a bark of agreement, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth as he enjoyed the breeze flowing through his fur.

Kiba was so excited at the moment that he couldn't keep quiet. He and Akamaru had just completed an important assassination mission in the Land of Rice Patties. Though one to never be eager to take a life, it had been necessary in order to prevent another war, that country being the former base of Otogakure, the Village Hidden in the Sound. It had gone without a cinch, and now that he was closer to Konohagakure, and in the clear, he couldn't help but release his joy at a job well done. Thanks to his effort, the village was safe for a little while longer.

Akamaru whimpered slightly and Kiba instantly quieted. "What is it, Akamaru?" His partner then made a serious of low barks and growling sounds, the pair gradually slowly down as Kiba translated what they meant.

_Four ninja…three against one…one scent is slightly familiar, but yet unfamiliar…_Akamaru shook his head in confusion at that last part before continuing. _One is weak…really weak…and it's a female._

"Let's go check it out." Cautiously, they advanced to the area where Akamaru had said they were. It was only a minute later when Kiba could smell them. Sure, Kiba had an amazing nose, one of the best in his Clan, but no ninja could beat the nose of a ninken. Not even Hatake Kakashi, and he was rumored to have one of the best noses outside of the Inuzuka Clan.

_Yep, definitely three men against a woman_, he thought about 2 Kilometer away from the group. He could hear the men's crude jokes from this far away, and it was nauseating. Kiba growled. Men, much less ninja, who tried to take advantage of women, or those weaker than them, disgusted him to no end.

Despite his impulsive nature, Kiba was a highly intelligent individual. He took everything into consideration before making a decision. He was no Shikamaru, but he could still think ahead by a couple steps. In this aspect, his friends likened him to a wolf; run by emotions and instinct, but fiercely intelligent. So, even though he wanted to save the girl, he still had to make sure it was not a trap. After all, he had yet to reach the Land of Fire's borders. Like the shinobi they were, Kiba and Akamaru stealthily made there way to where the fighting was. The Inuzuka was sickened by what he saw.

Three obviously strong ninja were beating a woman who looked seriously malnourished in Kiba's opinion, which would be odd if this were a trap. He was starting to doubt it though. The woman was obviously a kunoichi, or had some training in it, yet she was dressed differently than the other three, who wore nearly all black. An overly large hospital-type gown swallowed her petite form. A flash of metal from one of the shinobi caught his attention and Kiba hissed in surprise and anger.

Sound ninja.

That was the only reason Kiba needed to launch himself into the fray. Ever since Uchiha Sasuke had returned to Konoha, all Oto nin, or Sound ninja, had been declared Kill-On-Sight, unless they surrendered. Even then they were taken in for questioning.

Moving in so fast that the Oto nin had no time to react, Kiba sheathed a kunai in the chest of one ninja killing him instantly, while Akamaru mauled the face and upper body of a seconded ninja. The remaining Sound ninja just stared in shock, frozen in place for a few seconds. Those few seconds cost him his life.

Kiba was mildly disappointed as he tossed the lifeless body to the side. These ninja, if you could even call them that, hadn't even put up a fight. They must have been foot soldiers, or something like that. The weakest of the weak. He snorted in disgust before turning towards the girl who, strangely enough, hadn't made a sound. He found her facing him, breathing heavily as she clutched her side. It was then that he saw the blood.

"Hey, you're bleeding." He blurted, feeling kind of stupid. Step in impulsive nature here.

When he spoke, her eyes zeroed in on his position. The girl was tall, around 5'6", though her thin frame made her seem petite. She had long, matted ebony hair that was dull and seemed coarse to the touch. Her blank grey eyes stayed on him, but there was something strange about her gaze. Her eyes seemed unfocused and they seemed to shift every few seconds, almost as if she couldn't find him, and her white pupils…

"You're blind." He said without thinking again, and he idly wondered if he had a case of word vomit. The girl flinched at his statement and he automatically felt guilty. She probably thought he would try to take advantage of her, like those Oto bastards. "Hey, it's okay." Kiba said in a reassuring voice, raising his hands in a placating gesture, even though she couldn't see it. "I'm a Leaf shinobi, I just want to help. If you let me, I can treat your wound." Akamaru whined softly, trying to help his master reassure the girl.

The girl seemed to be surprised by what he said. Well, woman would be a more accurate term for her, but she was so small and her face was so child-like that girl just seemed to fit her better.. "You're…from Konoha?" She asked softly, her voice gruff from disuse.

Kiba nodded then remembered that she couldn't see the gesture. "Yes." He said softly. "My name is Inuzuka Kiba, and this is my partner Akamaru." Said dog slowly approached the girl and rubbed his face against her side. She stiffened, but then giggled when the ninken licked her hand. Kiba smiled at that. "What's your name?"

She ignored his question and asked one of her own. "Can you take me home?"

The dog-lover frowned at that. "Where is it?"

"Konoha…" She said, her voice trailing off as her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fainted. Luckily, Akamaru positioned himself where she sort of fall on top of him instead of hitting the ground.

"Shit!" Kiba exclaimed as he rushed towards her, taking her off of his friend and laying her gently onto the ground far enough away from the bodies of the enemy ninja. "From Konoha, huh…" He muttered to himself as he quickly looked over her body for the injuries. "How come I didn't know about you?" As a tracker-type ninja, Kiba and his team were well acquainted with the list of missing people from their village. It wasn't a long list, but it was still one too many if you asked him. And he knew for a fact that he would remember someone like her-

His thought process was stopped short when he lifted up the hospital gown. She wore undergarments that hung loosely on her because of her low body weight, but that wasn't what caught him off guard. It was the large gash that was bleeding slowly but steadily, just below her left ribcage.

"Shit." Kiba said for the second time that day as he went about trying to patch up the wound. It wasn't life threatening, but if left unchecked-and combine that with the poor condition she was in-it could easily escalate into something he would not be able to treat with his limited medical knowledge. Once he was finished, he quickly scooped the fragile woman into his arms, holding her gently yet firmly against his chest, before taking off into the trees, doubling his pace to get back to Konoha quicker.

"Well, Akamaru!" Kiba said loudly, but not quite shouting. "It looks like we're not going to be sleeping tonight!" If they didn't, they'd be in Konohagakure by tomorrow morning. His four-legged companion barked in agreement, also wanting to help the fragile female. In the pack, females bared the future generations and were meant to be cared for, not treated like dirt.

As they made their way back home, the scent of the woman filled Kiba's nostrils. Peaches and cream.

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock!_

The sound reverberated throughout the apartment, and Sasuke groaned as it woke him up, snuggling closer to the source of body heat next to him. Last might, Hinata had stayed with him. They hadn't done anything beyond making out, but it was a huge comfort just to have her with him. He couldn't wait until they were married; he wouldn't have to hold back then.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

The person behind the door knocked again, more persistent this time, causing the body beside him to stir.

"Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked groggily, and the raven-hair shinobi sighed in resignation. Stretching as she yawned, the indigo-haired kunoichi sat up in the bed, her eyes still full of sleep. "W-who's at the door?"

With a groan Sasuke hoisted himself up on his arms, before kissing his fiancé softly on the lips, he couldn't help himself. She just looked so adorable when she was half-asleep. "Don't worry about it, I'll get it." He kissed her again. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay." Hinata said with a sleepy sigh before disappearing under the covers again. Stifling a sigh, Sasuke made his way to the front door, not bothering to put a shirt over his naked upper body.

_Knock, knock, knock!_

The Uchiha growled as he opened the door. "What?!" He snarled, but then stopped when he saw who it was. "Neji?"

The older Hyuuga gazed at the ex-Avenger with amusement clear on his face. "Did I interrupt something?"

Sasuke was confused by his question, his sleep-addled mind slow to process, but soon realized what he must look like in his state of undress and his hair a mess from sleep. If it wasn't for the fact that he had promised the other Hyuuga that he and Hinata wouldn't do anything unless they were married, he knew he would be dead, or pretty darn close to it.

The Uchiha rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed. Neji and his relationship had progressed after that promise had been made, so they were close, but not brothers like he and Naruto. More like friends, one of the few he had. The others included the rest of the Konoha 12, and a few others outside of the group. "We were sleeping, Hyuuga." He let some of his annoyance leak into his voice to show that he did not appreciate his teasing.

Neji chuckled briefly before becoming serious again. "I'm assuming Hinata-sama is here, then?"

Sasuke nodded. "You'd assume right." He looked skeptically at the other man. "Why?"

"A messenger nin stopped by the compound a minute ago." Neji said. "Kiba has returned from his mission."

The dark-haired Uchiha stiffened at this. "Is he okay?" His fiancé would be devastated if something happened to mutt boy.

Neji's lips quirked slightly into a smirk before shaking his head. "The Inuzuka is fine, but he brought someone with him."

Sasuke tilted his head in confusion. "Didn't he have an assassination mission?"

Neji nodded. "However, on his way back, he ran into a couple of Oto nin attacking a woman. He dispatched the Sound nin and brought the woman here for medical treatment. It also appears that she was originally from Konoha, but that is all we have since the woman is currently unconscious."

_Well, that's interesting. _The Uchiha thought. "As intriguing as that sounds, Hyuuga, what does that have to do with you knocking on my door at six o'clock in the morning?"

"With Sakura on a maternity leave, Hinata-sama is the only other medic in the village who has a chance of saving the girl." Neji explained.

"What of the Hokage?"

The Hyuuga gave him a look as if to say, 'are you really asking that?'

_Right_. Sasuke sighed. _Stupid, constantly drunk, old-as-dirt hag… _"Alright, I'll wake her up." The other man nodded before he used _Shunshin no Jutsu_, leaving a cloud of smoke in his wake. Closing the front door, the Uchiha made his way back to his bedroom. When he got there, he stayed by the door frame for a few seconds, just watching his lover sleep.

Knowing that they were short on time, Sasuke pushed himself off the door and crawled onto the bed. He swiftly pulled the covers off of Hinata, hoping the cold air would wake her up. Instead, the bluenette just curled in on herself, trying to keep the warmth in a little longer. Chuckling softly, Sasuke slowly turned Hinata onto her back before lowering his body onto hers, keeping in mind to keep most of his weight off of her. Gently, he started kissing her all over her face before descending to her neck.

"S-Sasuke-kun?" Hinata asked sleepily, his sweet kisses rousing her from sleep. "W-what are you-" She gasped suddenly as his lips found a sensitive spot just behind her ear. "Sasuke-kun! Y-yameru!"

Sasuke's deep laughter vibrated through his chest, making the shy Hyuuga's face a cherry red since hers was practically up against his. His laughing didn't help either. Leaning up, Sasuke gave Hinata a kiss so passionate that it left her breathless and her eyes glazed when he pulled back.

"Get up." He said seriously. "Dog boy brought a back someone from his mission and since Sakura is on maternity leave, you need to see them. It's that bad."

Hinata's eyes widened before she started to struggle out of her fiancé's grip. "W-why didn't y-you tell me that s-sooner!?" She nearly yelled as he finally let her out of his grasp, laughing all the while. Well, for Sasuke a series of chuckles was considered laughing.

She was almost out the bedroom door before she twirled around and headed back to the raven-haired shinobi. Sasuke gave her a questioning look before she swiftly placed a kiss on his lips. "I'll s-see you later." Hinata had never managed to get rid of her stutter, no matter how hard she tried, but as long as Sasuke didn't mind, then she didn't.

"See you, hime." Sasuke said with a smile, and Hinata smiled back, a light blush dusting her face as she left. It was only when they were alone did Sasuke show this side of him; this smiling baby face of his. Not even Naruto was a witness to this side of Sasuke, and it made her feel so _special_. It just showed how much he truly loved her.

She quickly made her way back to the Hyuuga compound where she lived and changed her clothes and washed up, not even bothering to take a shower. A person's life was in her hands, hygiene could wait until later. Once she was in her lavender scrubs, she _shunshin_ to the hospital since it was a short distance from her home, making necessary time. When she got there, Shizune met her as soon as she got her long white doctor's coat on.

"Hinata-san!" She said and grabbed her by her arm.

"What's the problem, Shizune-san?" The Hyuuga asked. Only when she was in the hospital or being a medic on the field did her stutter leave her for some time.

"Female, about nineteen years of age," Shizune began as they made their way to the elevator to the fourth floor where her patient was, "mild case of starvation. Signs of torture, experimentation-"

"Rape?" Hinata asked once they were in the elevator. She was disturbed by what she was hearing so far, and feared the worst.

"Fortunately, no." Shizune said, her face full of relief. Hinata's mirrored hers. "Also, she's blind."

Hinata nodded. "Those are all the preexisting conditions, aren't they?"

"Yes." The other woman nodded. "The wounds that she acquired when Inuzuka Kiba found her were quite a lot, most of them shallow, except for a large gash wound below her left ribcage. With mild internal damage. Currently, she is unconscious from blood loss."

"Where's Kiba-kun?" Hinata asked as the elevator binged and they stepped onto the fourth floor. "Is he still here?"

Shizune smile. "Yes." The former Hyuuga heiress knew her friends well. Kiba was the type of person who liked to see things all the way through, especially if he's somehow involved.

"How did he find her?"

"Three shinobi were trying to take advantage of her." Shizune said, obvious disapproval in her voice.

_Ah_. Hinata thought, fully understanding why he was still here. Kiba was an extremely protective male, considering everyone in Konoha a part of his pack. Even to a stranger, and especially a woman. He was the protector and he saw them as something to protect.

Entering the room, the first thing she noticed was her teammate. She smiled. "Kiba-kun!" Then she noticed the woman laying on the hospital bed.

"Hinata-chan!" Kiba exclaimed and moved out of the way. Even though his teammate was a shy creature, he knew to get out of her way when it came to healing people. An angry Hinata was a scary Hinata.

Hinata gave Kiba's forearm a squeeze as a substitute for a hug before standing beside her patient. "Tell me what happened, Kiba-kun" She said as she placed her hands over the girl's body. A light green glow encompassed her hands as she did a diagnostic jutsu.

"Me and Akamaru were a day away from the Land of Rice Patties when we came upon them." Kiba began, his face serious; which looked unusual for him. "At the time, I was so focused on making sure it wasn't a trap and rescuing her that I really didn't think about how she ended up there. Thinking about it now, and after finding out what she's been through, I'm almost certain she escaped from a lab. Where, I don't know, but considering the location…"

"One of Orochimaru's labs." Shizune said, a disturbed look coming across her face. "But we destroyed all his labs."

"All the labs that Sasuke-kun knew of." Hinata said, her brow furrowed in concentration. "That does not mean those were the only ones. We only assumed that."

A disturbed silence fell over the group as Hinata began to heal the gash, activating her Byakugan to get a better look. It was broken by Kiba. "There's one more thing. She said she's from Konoha, but I don't recognize her from the Missing Persons roster."

"Me either." Hinata said. "Did you get her name?"

"No." Kiba said. "She fainted before I could get it." Before he could say anymore, the girl in question stirred.

"Hello?" Hinata asked in a soothing voice, a comforting smile on her face. It was like her Byakugan wasn't even activated. "My name is Hyuuga Hinata, but can call me Hinata. I'm treating your injuries right now, you're very lucky that my friend Kiba-kun got you here when he did."

"Kiba…kun?" The girl said slowly, her voice sounding painful. Without preamble, Shizune poured a glass of water, placed a straw in it, and placed it near the girl's lips. She started to freak out almost immediately. "No, no more…!" She whimpered.

"Shh, it's just water." Hinata said softly. "I promise."

Hesitantly, the unknown girl took a cautious sip of the proffered liquid, before she greedily drank all of it. "Thank you." She said softly when she was done.

"Would you like anymore?" Shizune asked.

The girl shook her head. "No, thank you."

"Now, Kiba-kun told me that you said that you used to live in Konoha." Hinata said softly. She was almost done with her healing. "Is that true?"

"Yes." The girl said. She really liked the person who was talking to her at the moment, this Hyuuga Hinata. She had a very soothing voice, just like her mother did. Well, what she could remember of her mother. She was sure she could trust this lady, and the guy-Kiba-kun-who brought her to this lady. "Where am I?"

"Konoha." Hinata said softly, and all watched in delight as a huge smile spread across the girl's face. Kiba was slightly surprised by how pretty she looked when she did. Then berated himself for thinking that about a victim.

"I'm…home?" The girl asked slowly in disbelief. She couldn't believe it! She was home! She'd be able to see her mother, and father, and-"My brothers-are my brothers here?" She asked anxiously.

Hinata wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, finally finished with healing the near-fatal wound. Smiling softly, she looked at the girl's face. Grey eyes stared blankly but cheerfully in her direction, and her face looked hauntingly familiar to her, but she just couldn't place it. "Who are your brothers?"

The girl smiled smugly as she answered. "Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke!"

The entire room went silent, all of them too shocked to speak. Hinata couldn't believe it. It should be impossible, but there she was. Right in front of her laid the very girl that Sasuke had told her about last night, the day she had disappeared from his life. She had to make sure though.

"W-what's your name?" Hinata asked, being the first to recover.

The girl looked in her direction strangely, wondering why the room suddenly felt so stiff. Feeling the urge to see the person she was speaking to, the girl activated her kekkei genkai, red bleeding into grey. She was met with the kindest face she had ever seen, even with the look of shock on it. It looked as if it were impossible for this woman to be mad, and that greatly comforted the girl. She looked around the room and briefly took in the looks of the other woman before focusing her attention on the other occupant, and blushed before looking away, deactivating her Sharingan.

He was very handsome, the man who had saved her. Inuzuka Kiba.

"Uchiha Haine." She said quietly, glancing quickly at the place where she knew the shinobi was. "My name is Uchiha Haine."

Then Hinata fainted.

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke had been lazily roaming the streets of Konoha ignoring the glares that some of the villagers still gave him-and now Hinata, much to his ire-when the messenger ninja had appeared and told him his presence was required at the hospital. When asked why, the ninja had said that certain circumstances required him and that Hinata had fainted. Sasuke would have sighed with mock annoyance at that if it weren't for the fact that Hinata fainting wasn't the reason why he was needed.

So here he was, swiftly making his way to the hospital. With his exceptional speed, Sasuke made it there within a minute, much faster than the average Jonin. Entering the establishment, he was surprised to see not only Naruto, but also the Hokage there as well.

"Dobe, what's going on? Where's Hinata?" Sasuke asked, tense. He was beginning to panic. Where was Hinata? Why was the Hokage here?

"Teme!" Naruto called, ever the enthusiastic. However it now seemed strained and it didn't reach his eyes. He was just as tense as Sasuke, and that made him begin to worry even more.

"Where's Hinata?" He asked again, fury beginning to mix with his fear and panic. Where the _hell _was his fiancé?

"Calm down, Uchiha." Tsunade said calmly. "Hinata is fine. The situation concerns…you." He didn't care if the 'situation' concerned him. He wanted to find Hinata. Even if the Hokage said she was okay, he wanted to see it for himself. Tsunade seemed to see this in his eyes and sighed. "Follow me, I'll take you to her."

With a curt nod from the ex-Avenger, Sasuke followed the Hokage with Naruto behind him. Within seconds they entered the Employee's Lounge. The Uchiha visibly relaxed when he saw Hinata sitting on one of the couches there, her complexion a healthy color. There was even a smile on her face as she spoke with Kiba, though it seemed a little forced and that worried him, just like it did with Naruto. When she noticed the three new people entering, her eyes zeroed in on him and they were full of concern.

Okay, now he was _really _worried.

Quickly, he rushed to her side, not caring that others were present. Taking a seat next to her, he glanced briefly at the shinobi on the other side of Hinata. "Inuzuka." He said coolly, though he felt anything but.

"Uchiha." Kiba said just as coolly, though there was also concern in his eyes. It had taken some time for Sasuke to get used to the type of relationship Hinata had with her two male teammates. To her, they were brothers and she was their sister. Though he appreciated the fact that he knew they would die for her, Sasuke was a very possessive man. He did not like the fact that other men hung around his woman, even if they were considered family. They were not blood. Even then, there was a time when he had been jealous of Neji. However, he knew that if he wanted Hinata in _his _life, he needed to accept the men in _her _life. So he did, though it had taken an entire year and patience on her part, Sasuke had finally accepted Neji, Shino, and Kiba. The end result, her happiness. Now, he was on a semi friendly/professional relationship with Shino and Kiba, though it was well on its way to becoming the type of relationship he had with Neji.

Reaching a hand out to gently tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, Sasuke gazed into her pale lavender orbs. "What's wrong?" He asked softly, watching her face. He was alarmed at the range of emotions he saw. Anger, hope, fear to hope, and fear for…him? "Hinata?"

Instead of answering him, the shy Hyuuga glanced at the Hokage. "Can I tell him?"

The Hokage nodded. It would be best if the raven-haired shinobi heard it from someone he truly cared about, and Hinata sat on the highest pedestal in the Uchiha's heart. Turning back to the man she loved, Hinata could no longer hold back the tears that had threatened to fall since she had woken up a few minutes ago. Alarmed at the sudden flow of tears, Sasuke cupped her face with both his hands.

"What's wrong, hime?" Sasuke whispered, trying to sooth her by using his pet name for her.

Bringing a hand up to gently hold one of his wrist, Hinata leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, relishing in the warm contact. She was afraid. Afraid that this would be the last time that she would see him. The man she loved was a strong man, one of the greatest shinobi in the world, but he was also a very fragile person. If this proved to be false…she didn't know how it would affect him or what would happen to him, but she had to tell him. He deserved another chance to have his family back, no matter how broken or small it might be; family was family.

Opening her eyes again, she stared determinedly into his eyes, pale lavender connecting with black obsidian. "S-Sasuke-kun," she began softly, "I was able to h-heal the person that Kiba-kun brought back…but…" She trailed off, her courage faltering for a second before she took a deep breath. She decided to tell him everything else before she told him the identity of the person. "_She_…it seems s-she was held captive at one of the labs Orochimaru-s-san didn't tell you about."

Sasuke stiffened at this. Even though she hated the dead man, Hinata still tried to be polite. He would've rolled his eyes at this if he hadn't been so disturbed. "Did they hurt you? Did they-"

"No, Sa-Sasuke-kun, I'm alright." Hinata quickly assured him. "She is one of the…unfortunately lucky ones."

The Uchiha knew what she meant by that. The person had been taken against their will, probably kidnapped, and had been experimented on and tortured and had lived. He could only imagine what shape they were now in, or if they were at all sane. Turning slightly to face the Hokage, Sasuke schooled his expression into one that was unreadable.

"Did you find out the location of the base?" He asked, his voice neutral.

Tsunade nodded. "I've already sent out two demolition squads to take care of it. Hopefully, we'll get some intel on Kabuto. " It had been five years since Kabuto had merged with Orochimaru, and recently they hadn't been able to pinpoint his location, which could only mean one thing: the snake bastard was planning something bad.

Now Sasuke was frustrated. "Then why was I told that this concerned me?" A shy touch to his cheek brought his attention back to Hinata, and the apprehensive look made the Uchiha anxious all over again.

"Sasuke-kun." Hinata said softly, and without stutter. "The girl claims to be Haine-chan." The entire room went silent as they all waited for Sasuke's reaction.

The raven-haired shinobi froze, becoming a living statue. So many thoughts ran through his head. _This…can't be true. It has to be a lie. This must be Orochimaru's or Kabuto's doing…but Hinata wouldn't have told me this if it wasn't somewhat true. So…it must be true but…_

"There had been so much blood…" Sasuke said quietly after a couple tense seconds. He gazed beseechingly into Hinata's eyes.

Her eyes softened. "People can survive f-from severe blood loss, Sasuke-kun. And Orochimaru had the i-incentive to keep h-her alive." Her eyes saddened. "She has the S-Sharingan, Sasuke-kun, but w-with…all they did to her…t-the only way she can see is when it's activated. She's b-blind."

Sasuke stared dumbly at Hinata, his mind blank, before he slowly stood up. "Take me to her." He said, his voice emotionless and his face devoid of all emotion. Kiba was about to protest when Hinata stood up and shook her head at her teammate. This was part of her fiancé's coping mechanism, he was just trying to deal with everything. Taking his hand-she gave it a squeeze to let him know she was there for him-Hinata led Sasuke out of the Employee's Lounge and headed to the elevator to take them to the fourth floor, where the girl who claimed to be Haine was. The others followed them at a slower pace.

Sasuke stopped right in front of the closed door. Everything around him suddenly vanished, and he was suddenly all alone. All the fears he had tried to keep at bay resurfaced, he couldn't-

A warm pressure in his hand brought Sasuke back to the present, and his eyes rested on Hinata. She smiled softly at him, silently supporting him. He squeezed her hand back, his face showing nothing but his eyes telling her how grateful he was for her. He wasn't alone in this. He had Hinata. _And Naruto_. Sasuke thought, glancing at his best friend who beamed at him.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke turned the door knob and opened the door. It surprised him to see Sakura there, chatting softly with the girl on the bed. Hadn't Neji say she was on maternity leave? At the sound of the door opening, both woman turned to it, and Sasuke's breath caught.

The girl on the bed was in pretty bad shape. She was unnaturally thin for her height, her skin having a pale-grayish tint to it, almost as if she would have died if she had stayed where she had been any longer. Sasuke swallowed harshly at the thought. Her face was sunken in and her ebony hair was dull and brittle-looking. Grey eyes stared in his general direction unseeingly.

The girl looked nothing like his little sister at first glance but…the longer he stared at her, the more he could see bits and pieces of her in the girl before him. In her cheek bones, the shape of her face, and those grey eyes…

"Hinata-san?" The girl asked softly when nobody had spoken for a long time, and Sasuke gasped, eyes wide.

_That voice…_

"Hai, Haine-chan." Hinata said softly as she approached the bed, bringing Sasuke with her since they both refused to let go of the other's hand. "How are you feeling?" She asked, back into her professional mode.

"I'm…okay. Sakura-san kept me company!" Haine said with a smile, but then frowned. "I hurt, but…I rather feel the pain than not. They always…did things when the pain was away." Sasuke squeezed Hinata's hand with an almost painful pressure at this. Her thumb moved in soothing circles on the back of his hand to comfort him. "But how are you? Are you okay? They said you fainted, are you anemic?"

Hinata blushed with a little laugh. "Iie, I am fine. It's just something that happens sometimes; nothing to worry about."

Seeming satisfied that her new friend was okay, she turned her attention to the other people in the room. "Who else is here?" Sasuke was surprised by this. She could sense them?

"The Hokage, Tsunade-sama; her apprentice, Naruto-kun; Kiba-kun, and my fiancé." Hinata said softly, squeezing his hand. She was leaving it up to him to tell Haine who he was.

Haine blushed a little at the mention of Kiba, though it was hardly noticeable with the amount of blood loss she had experienced not too long ago. She then looked at the spot where Sasuke stood, her eyes meeting his. It was unnerving, having a blind person meeting your gaze. "Who are you?" She asked curiously. She was sure she knew this person, but there were too many scents in the room for her to distinguish who it was. Since she had lost her sight her sense of smell had greatly increased, but she was no Inuzuka.

Before Sasuke could speak, Naruto beat him to it. "Sakura-chan!" He exclaimed loudly, making the girl jump in surprise at his loudness. This was her first time meeting Konoha's number one knucklehead ninja. "How are you feeling?" He asked as he practically ran towards her.

"_Naruto!_" Sakura reprimanded as she bumped him especially hard on the head. Ever since she had become pregnant her monster strength had increased, much to Naruto's irritation. "Be quiet, you idiot! Your scaring her!"

"Itai…" Naruto winced, nursing the new bump on his head. "Sorry, I was just worried about the babies."

Sakura's expression softened as her hand fell to her hugely distended belly. "They're just fine, moving around as they should be. You know, getting into position. Should be any day now." She said softly and Naruto smiled brightly at her. Sakura had finally accepted Naruto's love about two years ago, and then she had gotten pregnant. With twins. It had come as a shock to the both of them, but none more so than Sakura. Naruto, on the other hand, wouldn't stop bragging about his 'swimmers' for about a month until both Sakura and Sasuke had threatened him. With what, no one knew, but he would grab his crotch with a pained expression occasionally for about a week after that. The plan for them at the moment was to get married after the babies were born since Sakura wanted to look good at her wedding, and not the size of a whale (though Naruto said she'd look beautiful no matter how she looked).

"You're having a baby?" Haine asked, her head turning back to Sakura, momentarily distracted.

Sakura smiled. "Hai. Twins; two little boys."

Haine smiled. "Like my big brothers, except they weren't twins. Aniiki is almost seven years older than my other brother, but Sasuke-nii is only two years older than me!"

The room went quiet save for a shuddering breath that brought Haine's attention back to Hinata's fiancé. Throughout the entire conversations this person had remained silent; even Kiba had laughed when Sakura had pounded Naruto on the head. She was almost tempted to use her Sharingan again just to see who it was, but having already done that and in her weakened state, it probably wouldn't be such a good idea.

After a few tense seconds, a shaky voice, deeper than she remembered it to be, asked softly, "Haine-chan?"

* * *

Please review! Ja ne!

~Star


	3. Closure

Disclaimer: Me no ownie Naruto!

Hey! Its Star again!

So my weekend was awesome! Went to MegaCon Saturday and took some awesome pictures. There was a really cute(hot) guy there dressed as Kiba(and he was Asian, too!), and i thought, "That's how Kiba should look like in my fanfic." I was almost tempted to ask if I could use his picture that I took, but i restrained myself lol that, and I'm too shy! Anyway, here's the next installment! Enjoy!

~Star

* * *

Chapter Two: Closure

"Haine-chan?"

Haine's breath stopped in her chest as she stared at the spot where she _knew _that voice came from. It was different than what she remembered; deeper and slightly gruff, but that was to be expected. Puberty had more affect on a guy's voice than it did with girls. It was different, but she knew this voice.

Hesitantly, she reached a hand out to where she sensed him. "Sasuke-nii?" Now that she knew where he was, she could make out his familiar scent. Peppermint and pine…with lightning? That hadn't been there before, but it was still her brother.

Nothing met her fingertips.

"How…how do I know it's really you?" Her brother questioned, his voice guarded, almost fearful of this being a joke. It was so different than what she remembered that it alarmed her. What had happened in the time that she had been gone? What had made her carefree brother so…wary?

"I…it's me, nii-san." Haine said slowly, her voice thick with tears. Her brother didn't think it was her. "It's Haine." She wracked her brain for things to tell him, to convince him it was her. "I…I know that you love tomatoes and onigiri, and-and that even though aniiki is very distant, he still cares for us, 'cause he pokes our foreheads and-"

She didn't get another word out, because in the next second, strong arms were wrapped around her, crushing her against a hard chest. The scent of peppermint, pine, and lightning surrounded her and she knew she was in the arms of her brother. Wrapping her arms around him, hard sobs shook her body as the emotional stress of nearly fifteen years finally found release.

To anyone else, the words that she had spoken would have sounded like gibberish, but that last sentence had done it for Sasuke. Very few people outside of his family knew of Itachi's sign of affection, those few being Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata. Now that was extended to two more people; the Hokage and Kiba. So hearing this girl who looked so much like his Haine-chan say that about Itachi, he just knew. Sasuke just knew that it was his little sister.

So here he was, holding his sister in his arms for dear life. He couldn't believe it. He wasn't the last of his family, he wasn't alone. He knew he had Naruto, Sakura, Kakashi, and Hinata, but nothing was like your own flesh and blood.

For a good five minutes the siblings just embraced the other, savoring the bond they had been denied for so long. Haine sobbed his name continually and Sasuke barely noticed the silent tears streaming down his face. Eventually, the grey-eyed Uchiha calmed down enough to where she only hiccupped every now and then. Finally, she pulled away a bit and smiled up at him, her eyes resting on the spot a little to the left of his face.

"Onii-san! You've gotten taller!" She said happily, pulling free one of her hands to wipe at her face. Laughs sounded all throughout the small room, Sasuke even chuckled as he wiped at his own face, uncaring at who was watching at the moment.

"Yeah, but you stayed short." He teased, and chuckled some more at her pouting face. Her face suddenly perked up.

"How are Otou-sama and Okaa-san?" Haine asked excitedly, completely oblivious to the chilling temperature of the room. "And aniiki? How's Itachi-nii?"

Silence met her questions.

The Hokage was the first to react. "I'll have to inform the Council." She gave Sasuke an apologetic look, and he understood. The Council would be all over his sister now that he wasn't the only Uchiha left. He would have to make sure of her safety after he was done talking with her. He would not allow his sister to be married off to some rich pig just because the Council wanted Uchiha babies. Tsunade seemed to read this from his expression and smirked. "I'll expect you in my office later, Sasuke." The older Uchiha gave a curt nod before the Hokage left.

"Come on Sakura-chan." Naruto said as he helped his fiancé up from her sitting position. "Let's get you home. I'll see you later, Sasuke-teme."

"Hn." Sasuke replied as he watched them leave.

"Hey! My brother is not a bastard!" Haine exclaimed a bit after the door closed, before gasping and covering her mouth, eyes wide. "Oops."

Hinata giggled. "I wouldn't worry to much, Haine-chan. Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun are the best of friends." She placed a hand on Haine's arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze before turning to Sasuke. "I'll see you at you're apartment, 'kay?"

"Okay." Sasuke said softly and closed his eyes when she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly on the lips. Then she too left.

"I gotta meet up with Shino and then rest; we got a mission tomorrow." Kiba said, groaning the last part. He had just gotten back and now he was heading out again. Shino was lucky that he was his best friend and that the Hokage was frightening woman.

"Tough luck." Sasuke smirked.

"Meh." Kiba shrugged. He was slightly shaken by the Uchiha's show of emotion, and wasn't sure how he should act, so he settled for how he always did. So far, it was working if that smirk was anything to go by. "Gotta do what you gotta do sometimes." Then he smiled his wolfish smile. "Hope you feel better soon, Haine-san."

She smiled softly. "Hai. Be safe Kiba-san."

"I'm a Jonin, 'course I will be." The Inuzuka said proudly, all confidence. Sasuke scoffed at him and Kiba gave him the finger. "Later Haine-san, Uchiha." He said, the last referring to Sasuke, before heading out the door.

"So, you and Hinata-san?" Haine asked when they were alone.

"Hn." Sasuke said with a smile, reverting back to his normal self after the emotional tornado he had just been through.

Haine frowned. "When did you become so quiet?" Sasuke didn't speak for a very long time, and it was beginning to worry Haine. "Sasuke-nii?"

"How about I tell you a story?" Her brother finally asked. She gave him confused look.

"A story?"

"Yeah, about two brothers and their little sister." Sasuke didn't know how to tell Haine about the tragic past of the Uchiha Clan, so he had decided to do it the way Hinata had done when she told him about how her father and Neji had treated her before things got better. She had made it seem like a fairy tale, and so would he, except this ending would be bittersweet-though more bitter than sweet.

Haine giggled. "Okay, tell me a story onii-san."

Sasuke took a deep breath before he began. "Once upon a time, there were three children born into one of the most prestigious clans in the world." And so he told her everything. Her kidnapping and how everyone had thought her dead, the massacre, his defection from Konoha, Itachi's and his final battle, Madara's part in all of it, the Fourth Shinobi War, and to the present day, where brother and sister were reunited again. Haine had stayed silent throughout the entire thing, gasping every now and then, but otherwise silent. And as the story progressed, her expression became more and more sorrowful until eventually, the tears fell for the second time that day, this time with anguish. When he was finally finished, an hour had passed and all was silent.

When Haine finally spoke, it was nothing but a whisper. "Did you really…kill aniiki?'

Sasuke ran his hand over his face. "Yes." He said gruffly. He wouldn't sugarcoat it for her because she might hear it from someone else, and it was best that she heard it from him. "I was young, still am, but very stupid and consumed by rage and vengeance. No matter how justified it felt at the time, it was wrong; I was wrong. It left me feeling cold and empty, and when I learned the truth, I felt like worthless, Haine-chan."

She was quiet for a moment and Sasuke didn't look at her, afraid of the expression he would see on her face if he did. So he was surprised when he felt her fingers searching for his hand before they firmly grasped it. When he looked up at her face, tears were flowing freely down it, her body shaking with quiet sobs.

"S-stay with me, onii-san." She asked, almost begged as she sniffled lightly. "I don't know how to feel about this yet, Sasuke-nii. But I do know that I don't want to lose the only family I have left…so please stay with me. At least until I fall asleep, onii-san."

Sasuke gripped her hand tightly. "I can do that, Haine-chan." He said softly. "I don't want to lose you either." So he stayed with her, telling her about the comings and goings of Konoha now that she was old enough to understand. What surprised her the most was the friendship he had with his teammates. They were his family, and if it weren't for them and their love for him, he knew he wouldn't be where he was now.

It was about two hours later, around lunch time, that Haine began to drift into sleep. When she was completely gone, Sasuke got up and kissed her softly on the forehead, like he had when they were younger, before heading out the door. He had a date with the Hokage and the Council.

* * *

"I propose Uchiha Sasuke be sentenced to death." Mitokado Homura said in a solemn voice after the Council meeting commenced. Instantly, murmurs erupted, some in protest, others in acquiesces. One voice, however, stood out over all.

"Why?" It belong to none other than Nara Shikamaru. He had taken the seat on the Council after his father, Nara Shikaku, died. Yamanaka Ino had done the same, replacing Yamanaka Inoichi after his death. They were the youngest of the Council members.

"We have another Uchiha to rebuild the Uchiha Clan." Utatane Koharu said, causing the rest of the Council members to gaze at her in shock, except for Aburame Shibi and Inuzuka Tsume. Members of both their clans had been part of the demolition teams sent to the base as trackers since Haine was unable to give them accurate details. The other Councilmen, however, were in various disbelief. Another Uchiha? Impossible!

"I oppose." Shikamaru said lazily, but his eyes betrayed his seriousness. "Whoever this other Uchiha is, I highly doubt Sasuke would allow you to just use them."

"I oppose, as well." Yamanaka Ino said, leaning forward to place her elbows on the table before her, bridging her fingers in front of her mouth. "Sasuke-kun is a very trustworthy shinobi, as well as one of the most powerful ninja in the world, second to only Naruto-kun. To get rid of him would be a major blow to Konohagakure's defense as well as offense. Overall, it would be a very…obtuse idea to pursue."

"I also oppose." Hyuuga Hiashi said, much to some of the other members' surprise. "I may be a bit bias, considering his relationship with my daughter, but the Uchiha is a fine young man. He is finally on the path of light and is a great asset to the village. We should consider it a blessing to have not one, but two members of such a rare clan in our midst. It will be far easier now to rebuild their clan."

There were many on the Council who agreed with them, though not all of them were won over.

"Have you forgotten that he defected from the village?!" Said a man on the civilian side of the Council, his voice ringing throughout the room. "He joined forces with our greatest adversary, conspired against Konoha! He is a menace that needs to be destroyed!"

"You forget, Councilmen." A voice said from a dark corner, and out stood a very calm, but very angry Uchiha Sasuke. "I had every right to be an angry child, or do you deny the sins you've committed against me and my brethren?"

"Good of you to join us, Sasuke." The Hokage said, seeming to be the only one who was not surprised by the Uchiha's appearance. Even Shikamaru's face expressed shock, his eyes widening until the whites showed. She had sensed his presence the moment he had stepped in a few seconds after the beginning of the meeting and had chose to keep silent. Tsunade wasn't Hokage for nothing.

The ex-Avenger gave the Hokage a nod of acknowledgement. Even though she had said nothing, he knew she was on his side. Over the years, the Uchiha had managed to wiggle his way into her heart, just like Naruto and Sakura had. Turning his expression back to the snobbish elders, he smirked darkly. "Well?" Koharu and Homura seethed silently, caught being ridiculous. Focusing on the Council, Sasuke met the gazes of Shikamaru, Ino, and Hiashi, hoping to convey his thanks through his eyes on his otherwise blank face. They gave him barely perceivable nods.

"You will not use my sister for your selfish reasons, at all." Sasuke said in a calm yet dark voice. His announcement of his relationship with this new Uchiha surprised _everyone _in the room save for the Hokage. No one had known that he had had another sibling besides Itachi. "This is not up for discussion. My sister and I will be free to live our lives as we wish, not at the whims of a greedy Council who thinks themselves to be gods."

"What gives you the right to dictate what we will and will not do?" Asked an irritated member from the civilian-half of the Council.

Sasuke's face darkened, the whites of his eyes turning black as his irises turned yellow, and fangs protruded disturbingly from his upper lip. Itachi had gotten rid of Sasuke's cursed mark a long time ago, but some of the symptoms had stayed with him, appearing whenever he got highly upset, was tapping into his huge reserves (not quite as monstrous as Naruto's, but shockingly close), or when he wanted to intimidate some one, like now. "What's to say I won't do what Itachi-nii did, but on a larger scale…if you don't?" Shocked silence followed his words while the Hokage kept her face expertly blank.

"You...wouldn't…!" Gasped Koharu. "We won't allow it!"

"Who's going to stop me?" Sasuke asked menacingly. "Naruto? He's the only one in this village that can stop me, and he would be on _my _side, not yours." He knew this for a fact, even if his best friend wasn't here at the moment(he had been called for a last minute high-priority mision). After Sasuke had told Naruto the truth about Itachi, his best friend had been absolutely livid with the Council. Well, mainly Koharu, Homura, and Donzo, though the mummy had been dead by Sasuke's hand for a while. He had managed to calm the Kyuubi container, but till this day, Naruto had a hard time treating the elders with respect. They were the reason why Naruto had lost his brother(Sasuke) in the first place. Part of why Sasuke had lost his family. "And the Hokage?" He glanced at Tsunade, as did everyone else.

"I oppose to the execution of Uchiha Sasuke." She began, her voice all business and full of the 'Hokage authority.' "He is an excellent shinobi and comrade. As said earlier, it would be utter foolishness to get rid of him. As for his threat, it is very real. Naruto, as well as a large portion of our young and talented shinobi and kunoichi, will also support him. Among those are Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji, Hyuuga Hanabi, Haruno Sakura, Akimichi Choji, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, Hisagai Tenten, Sarutobi Konohamaru and his teammates, as well as two of our own Council members and a few others, all of which have become a great asset to this village.

"And Yamato? Yes, he can control Naruto, but for how long? What will we do when he no longer has the strength? No one can stop Naruto except for Sasuke, and vice versa." The Hokage took a deep breath. "So, yes, I support Uchiha Sasuke because of these facts, and nothing more."

Sasuke smirked, silently thanking her as he retracted his killer intent and fangs, his eyes going back to obsidian. Normally a threat like his would be dealt with as seen fit, usually by way of his death. However, since he was just as important as his sister, and stronger than the Hokage herself, the Council actually had to weight their options. Oppose him, or lose their most valuable ninja. He actually hadn't thought that so many would follow him, but then again, he had also thought that he'd never find happiness again. He looked out towards the Council, and saw many agreeing with Tsunade while the two old bats seethed in their seats.

"All in favor for agreeing to Uchiha Sasuke's demands?" Tsunade called. All but five hands rose, three civilian members looking sorely unhappy and Koharu and Homura. Less than a fourth against him. He couldn't help but smirk. "Majority rules! Uchiha Sasuke and Uchiha Haine are free to live as they see fit, without the Council interference, unless it is of the utmost importance." The Hokage glanced at Sasuke when she said this and he nodded. He could live with that. "This meeting is adjourned!"

With that, Sasuke left in a cloud of smoke as he used Shunshin no Jutsu to teleport him outside of the Hokage's office, thanking whoever made the body-flicker technique for their creating the best nin jutsu ever. Why? Because it allowed him to get to his fiancé faster, and all he wanted was to be in her arms.

* * *

Darkness.

That was Haine's world. It'd been that way since she was thirteen. Now, the only time she could see was when her Sharingan was activated, and her world would once again be full of colors and chakra patterns. She narrowed her eyes as she sat in the hospital bed staring blankly into open space. Orochimaru and Kabuto had been very interested in this, but had made sure that she could only use it sparingly by keeping her constantly exhausted. _Bastards_.

It had been a month since she had first woken up in Konoha Hospital. Since her fist day, Sasuke had visited her at least twice a day, with Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura thrown in the mix. Because of her handicap, she would sometimes think she was back in that place until the lingering scent of her brother and his friends reassured her that she was, in fact, free from that snake.

_Sasuke-nii… _She really didn't know what to think of him after his confession. Or the village, for that matter. Even though they talked when he visited her, there was always a tense air about them. How could Sasuke have gone to the very person who had tormented her and not know? Turn against their village? Kill their brother? It all sounded too horrifying to be real…but it had to be. It would explain some of the moments in her captivity when she had thought she felt her brother's presence, but then thought she had imagined it. Maybe…she had actually sensed him? But why didn't he sense her?

_His senses are not as sharp as mine._ Haine reluctantly reminded herself. Sasuke may be strong, but Haine beat everyone in Konoha when it came to sensing things, or even people. She could sense that it was a normal, sunny day outside in Konoha. She could feel the people milling about the streets outside the hospital. She could even feel the room around her, its dimensions and the position of some of the furniture. A normal person would feel overwhelmed, but to Haine, it gave her a type of 'sight'.

Haine blushed slightly when she felt a certain presence in the streets. Ever since she had seen him, she couldn't get him out of her head. For someone like that to have saved her, it felt like one of the stories she remembered her mother reading to her. She began to fidget when she felt him enter the hospital.

_Stop it. _Haine instructed herself_. Just because he's in the hospital, doesn't meant he's going to visit. Maybe he got injured on that mission of his and is seeking medical attention. _Her eyes widened at that thought. _Oh no! What if…_

Her heart thudded rapidly in her chest as the door opened and the scent of forest, wolf(it was a slightly scarier scent than that of a dog), and…wildness washed over. _Kiba-san…_

"Hey." Kiba said awkwardly from the door way. He'd just gotten back from his month-long mission with Shino, and was supposed to be home at the moment, resting. Apparently, his feet thought otherwise when he found himself at the entrance of the hospital. For some reason, throughout the whole mission, he'd been thinking about Haine, wondering if she was okay, how things were going with her and Sasuke, and just how she was doing in general. He couldn't get her scent out of his mind. It was very strange for him and he'd been distracted. Shino had noticed and had asked him if he was okay. At the time he had just shrugged his shoulders and they had left it at that, because he didn't know. He still didn't know.

"Hi." Haine said in a quiet voice. It really was eerie how her eyes knew exactly where he was. For a few seconds they just stared at each other, well Kiba did the staring, before he went to take the seat by her bed.

"How have you been?" Kiba asked, taking in her features. "You look a lot better from when I first found you." He smiled, she really did. She was fuller, a lot less starved and just looked skinny, but no longer in an almost-dead kind of way; like she was just naturally lean. Her hair was shinny and her pallor had improved too, her pale skin now having a rose tint to it. One that her older brother was missing, but she was still pale-looking, just like Sasuke. In all honesty, she looked 100% better.

"I feel a lot better, too." Haine said with a smile of her own. "How was your mission? Did you get hurt?"

"Nah, I'm fine." Kiba said with smile. "It was an easy mission despite its high rank. Just a simple escort and guard mission. Plus, I had my teammate with me. Besides, nothing can get me, I'm a Jonin, after all."

"Really?" Haine asked, her eyes wide in awe.

Kiba smirked. "Forgot already? I'm pretty sure I told you that first day." He teased. He doubt she would have remembered anyway, it had been a month ago, after all.

Haine blushed as she remembered and stuck her tongue out at him, earning a laugh from the dog-lover. She smiled slightly before speaking again. "What rank is Sasuke-nii?" She had been too shy and afraid to ask her brother about it when he visited because of all the tension between them.

Kiba smirked. "He's Head ANBU. Youngest in Konohagakure's history. Not too many people like him, but the guy knows how to get the job done with scary efficiency."

Haine smiled at this, proud at her brother's accomplishments, but then it slowly faded.

Kiba frowned. "What's wrong?" He watched as the young Uchiha fidgeted and kept glancing up at him before looking away, oddly reminding him of a younger Hinata. If it weren't for the white pupils in her grey eyes, he'd of sworn that the girl could see him.

Haine wasn't sure if she should talk to this ninja about her emotional distress. Sure, he had saved her and he was friendly, but could she trust him? Could she trust any of them? Even Sasuke? _But he saved me…_

So had Kabuto.

Detecting her rising frustration, Kiba spoke, having a sense where her thoughts were going. "You know, we Inuzuka are very loyal to our friends." He said softly and she turned her head in his direction. Her eyes stared blankly just to below his face. "You can trust me."

Haine hesitated for a second before relenting with a sigh. Lips trembling, she spoke in a soft whisper. "Sasuke-nii told me everything…and I don't know if I should feel about it…or him." She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "He has done…so many bad things. He killed aniiki…but he was being used…" She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she rested her chin upon her knees.

"You should love him!" Kiba said suddenly, loudly, surprising them both. "Sorry. It's just that, the guy's been through a lot, Haine-san. We aren't that closes, but he's one of my friends now, and I experienced firsthand his betrayal."

"What do you mean?" Haine asked curiously, though she was slightly dreading the answer.

Kiba took a deep breath. "When he first left, I was one of the genin who went with Naruto after Sasuke. I almost died on that mission and it was still a failure. I didn't know Sasuke that much, but to Naruto, he was like a brother, and Naruto has managed to find a place in all of our hearts, so to see him so torn over your brother made a lot of people hate Sasuke."

"Really?" She asked with disbelief. All the people in the room when she first woke up, and the other people who visited her, and Hinata-san, seemed to really like Sasuke. Kiba as well. To hear that he had _hated _him at one time made her think a little.

"You bet." Kiba said as he got into a more comfortable position in his seat. "The majority of the village did as well. When we finally got him back, courtesy of Naruto, many people demanded his death. The Konoha 12, my generation of ninja, and the rest of the village eventually found out the truth behind the…tragedy of your clan, but even then few were willing to forgive your brother. I was not one of them.

"That started to change, however, after the way I saw him acting towards Hinata-chan, my teammate. At first I thought he was faking it, using her, but then I'd see the look in his eyes and think, 'there's no way he's faking it.' I couldn't believe it, the cold-hearted Uchiha was falling for someone, and hard. It was even more surprising that it was Hinata. Eventually, me and Shino, my other teammate, got used to the idea of the two dating, and even defended them in public. It wasn't until Sasuke saved both me and Akamaru on a mission gone wrong did I finally start to see him as a friend and comrade again."

"Akamaru?"

"Yeah, my ninken." Kiba said with a laugh. "He was that big fury thing when I found you."

"Oh." Haine giggled, remembering how the dog had reassured her with a few sloppy licks.

"The point is, Haine-san, your brother has done a lot of things, and a lot of them are pretty unforgivable." Kiba said, his face becoming serious. Haine couldn't see the change, but she could feel it in the air, hear it in the way he spoke. "Yet, he's here, turning a new leaf, so to speak. Most guys in his situation would either stay in the shadows and continue to do bad, or off themselves and take as many as possible with them. The guy's still scary as all hell, and insanely strong as hell, but at least he's on our side now. It takes courage to do what he's doing." Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed one of her hands, giving it a slight squeeze. "For both of you, I suggest you give him another chance. You both need each other."

Blushing at his forwardness, but appreciating the gesture and advice, Haine smiled happily. "Arigatou, Kiba-san."

* * *

It was a few minutes after Kiba's visit that Sasuke entered her room. He was by himself. After what the Inuzuka had told her, she had decided that he was right. Sasuke was trying to change, and was doing a very good job at it as well. Hell, he was Head of ANBU. Only the most trusted and deadly of ninja were given the title. So when her brother said, "Hey," in his usual emotionless voice, Haine made sure to put on her biggest smile, and she was glad to note that it felt and came naturally.

"Konnichiwa Onii-san!" She said enthusiastically.

Sasuke just stared at her for a bit, blinking dumbly before a smirk made its way across his face. "Squirt. Do you know when you're leaving?"

"Hai; tomorrow!" Haine said and clapped her hands together. It was _so _boring at the hospital, and she couldn't wait to get out of it! "Can I stay with you after?"

"Where else were you planning on going?" Sasuke said as he took the seat Kiba had sat in not too long ago. He was glad that his sister had forgiven him. Her greeting, and the absence of the tension that had been between the two of them for the past month, had clued him in on that. Now that things were a bit easier between them, Sasuke reached forwards and ruffled her hair, earning him an indignant squeak and an embarrassed blush from his sister.

"I-I knew that!" She grumbled, and listened to his laughter. She had lived so long without it that it had changed from high-pitched to a deep rumbling sound. So long. Now that she knew his past without her, it was time that he knew her past without him. It was only fair. "Onii-san?"

"Hn?" Was his monosyllabic reply. She could still hear the humor in his voice. According to Hinata, only the two of them, and on rare occasions Naruto and Sakura, were privy to this side of him.

"I want to tell you how it happened…how it all happened."

Sasuke tensed. She could feel it in the air around him. Reaching out with her senses, she out stretched her hand to where she felt his was, and smiled when he gripped her hand.

"You don't have to tell me, Haine-chan." He said softly, even though a part of him wanted to know, for her to share he pain with him.

Haine shook her head. "I want to tell you, nii-san." She said softly. "We were both manipulated by the snake. I think…it will help the both of us put it behind us." She smiled a sad smile. "It could give us a sense of…closure, maybe."

Sasuke let out a long breath before nodding, forgetting she couldn't see it. She could feel it, however, since he was so close, and smiled. Closing her eyes, Haine took a deep breath. She remembered that day so clearly, as if it happened yesterday instead of almost fifteen years ago. "I was playing in the inner courtyard, and I heard you calling, but I didn't want to go just yet. I was having so much fun playing with the flowers…."

XxXxXxX

_A five-year-old Uchiha Haine was happily poking and picking flowers in the inner courtyard of her family's home. She was just about to pick a red cosmos and add it to her collection, when she heard her older brother calling for her._

"_Haine-chan!" A seven-year-old Sasuke yelled loudly. "Itachi-nii said it's time for dinner!" Haine ducked under the elevated floors of the surrounding house and giggled after she was sure her brother was nowhere near her._

He'll never find me here! _She thought gleefully. She stayed in that spot for a few minutes before the prettiest butterfly she had ever seen fluttered past her. It seemed to be made of all the colors of the rainbow and Haine was instantly entranced. _

"_Pretty…" Haine murmured as she followed the enchanting insect. She followed it happily, not realizing that her movements were no longer her own until she noticed she was heading to a dark corner that wasn't there before. It was giving her a scary feeling and she wanted to stop, but her body wouldn't listen. She started to panic. She wanted to scream for her Mommy and Daddy, for Itachi and Sasuke! But her mouth wouldn't open. The only thing that seemed to obey her was her eyes, as tears silently filled them and fell down her cheeks._

_It wasn't long until two figures came out of the darkness. A tall pale man with creepy yellow eyes and long black hair, and another child, about Itachi's age or younger, with grey hair and glasses._

"_Good work, Kabuto." The tall man said, licking his lips. "I didn't expect a genjutsu to work on an Uchiha, but it seems that when their this young, they are just as susceptible to it as any other person."_

_Genjutsu. Haine whimpered on the inside. Her father had yet to teach her anything about chakra since she wouldn't be going to the Academy until another two years. Her brothers had also been too busy to teach her._

_She was trapped._

_The boy pushed his glasses up his nose, a pleased smile on his face. "Arigatou, Orochimaru-sama."_

"_Make sure it looks like she bled out, Kabuto. I want to make sure they won't be searching for this one." The man called Orochimaru said with a sick smile that terrified Haine. She didn't understand what he was talking about, but whatever it was, it sounded very…scary._

_The young boy, Kabuto, nodded eagerly and whipped out a kunai and the sight of it made Haine want to run away. Again, she tried to move her body, and again she couldn't move._

_The man chuckled darkly at the boy's eagerness. "Kukukukuku. Eager as always. Just make sure she doesn't die, or I will very disappointed."_

_Kabuto smirked. "Hai, Orochimaru-sama. I will make sure she lives." A split second later, Haine felt the worst pain she had ever felt in her short life. It ran from her right shoulder to her left hip. She was still unable to move on her own, but she saw red splattering everywhere. She screamed in her mind, her vision slowly going black from the pain._

_The last thing she heard was Sasuke's scream._

XxXxXxX

Sasuke was almost positive that he was hurting his sister's hand with his death grip, but he couldn't help it. His sister had been _right there!_ And all he had done was scream…if he had been stronger, he could've saved her, he could've-

A small pat on his hand brought Sasuke out of his obsessive thoughts. Focusing his eyes on Haine, he found a sad smile on her face, her eyes staring eerily into his.

"Don't blame yourself, Sasuke-nii." She said softly. "There was nothing you could have done."

"If I had been strong like aniiki-"

"You would have been killed." Haine said in a low, harsh tone. "You would have been killed, an then I would never have been able to forgive myself…I would have been truly alone."

Sasuke swallowed harshly and bowed his head, resting his forehead against their hands. "I know…I just, I thought I've been alone for so long…if I had know, I wouldn't have been so stupid…I wouldn't have left…"

Haine reached out tentatively until she felt Sasuke's hair. Lovingly, motherly, she stroked his hair to comfort him as she continued. "My Sharingan was activated when I was seven, and that's when the real testing began. I would be forced to fight numerous enemies until I was close to death, and then Kabuto would heal me, only for it to repeat against the next day." She took a deep breath. "I became blind when I was thirteen after many experiments and…other things. When it was discovered that I could see when the Sharingan was activated, plans were made to…extract my eyes. It was around that time that Orochimaru disappeared and Kabuto began acting…strange."

She felt Sasuke nod his head. "I would have been fifteen or sixteen by then. I had killed Orochimaru around that time. Kabuto…he fused himself with the snake. He's slowly losing himself as Orochimaru take over his body and mind."

Haine was quiet for a few seconds as she took in what her brother had just said before a violent shudder ripped through her. "That's…disturbing. Ano, anyways, he became obsessed with getting back at the person who took away his reason for living, Orochimaru. I now know that it was you, and because of that, I was able to bid my time."

Sasuke finally lifted his head and Haine removed her hand, giving her a curious glance. "What do you mean?"

Haine smiled mischievously, and Sasuke marveled at the fact that his sister was still so…free-spirited, even after all the shit that had happened to her. "Since Kabuto started ignoring me, I started rebuilding my strength and mastering my Sharingan in secret. It's taken me a year, but I finally managed to do it, and then I escaped…"

XxXxXxX

_Haine took a deep breath, gathering her chakra into her arms. Today was the day, she could feel it. The guards were slacking since they hadn't seen Kabuto in nearly a month. She knew if she wanted to get away from this place that today would be her only chance. Tomorrow would just be too risky._

_Taking a couple more breaths, Haine pulled against her restraints with all her strength. They gave way like wet noodles. Panting heavily as she dropped to the floor, Haine couldn't help the smirk that made its way across her face as she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the red eyes of a Sharingan user gazed at the room around her._

_It was a wet and moldy cell, the same one she had been in since she was five. After a few seconds of getting orientated, she ignored her surroundings and headed straight for the door before her. Without a care she kicked the door down, focusing her chakra into her legs to give her extra strength._

_Almost immediately she heard guards shouting and coming her way, and smirked. If only she knew how much she looked like her brothers in that moment. Moving swiftly, she made eye contact with each and every guard, knocking them out with a powerful genjutsu that was surprisingly, and thankful, not harsh on her chakra reserves._

_Throughout her escape, she dodged, blocked, and cast the genjutsu on guard after guard. There was so many-too many that she thought she'd never get out, until she saw the a light down a hallway. To her eyes it looked artificial, but to her senses, she knew it was the real deal._

_It was the sun._

_In her eagerness to see the one light she had not seen in almost fifteen years, Haine did not dodge in time as a guard slashed at her, giving her a deep gash under her left ribcage. Hissing in pain, Haine performed a jutsu she had taught herself in isolation., one she had memorized after seeing her father and brothers perform it so many times when she was younger._

"_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu(Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu)!" She shouted before a giant fireball flew from her mouth, burning her enemies. It wasn't enough to kill them, but hopefully it would delay them long enough for her to make her escape._

_It seemed like luck was on her side as she fled with no one on her heels. Pumping chakra into her legs, she ran as fast as she could, laughing happily all the way. She was so happy that she barely felt the pain from her wound._

_She was free! She was finally free! Now all she needed to do was find a way back to Konoha._

I'm coming home!

XxXxXxX

"It was about five miles away from the base that I ran into those three Sound ninja." Haine said, wrapping up her story. "They were coming back from a mission, despite no longer being a village. Strange, ain't it? Anyways, when they came upon me, I had already deactivated my Sharingan to conserve energy. Despite being blind, I can still find my way around pretty easily. But I was weak, and they were healthy." She let out a deep breath and smiled. "The rest you know from Kiba-san."

"Hn…" Sasuke murmured, gazing at his sister with shock and pride. Despite being blind and near emancipated, Haine had escaped on her own, and had taught herself their family technique from memory alone. He smirked slightly. His family was full of geniuses. "I'm…proud of you, you know?" Sasuke took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "I wish I had…known you were there. I would have left as soon as I discovered you. It…haunts me that, as I was searching for power, you were suffering practically right under my nose." He bit his lip and fought back the tears. Uchiha Sasuke never cried, not since he killed Itachi, but when it comes to Haine and Hinata, his emotions ran wild. "I'm still proud of you though. You're so strong." He got up and kissed his sister on her forehead.

Haine closed her eyes, tears running down her face as her brother uttered words she hardly remembers ever hearing. He was proud of her. Of her. The blind Uchiha. He was proud. "I love you, onii-san." Haine said as she pulled him into a hug. "I don't blame you for anything, I love you."

Sasuke felt a huge weight lift of his shoulders as he embraced his sister, those words releasing him of the guilt that had been eating at him ever since he found out that he had been so close to her, yet so far away. "I love you, too."

The siblings stayed like that for a few minutes, Haine crying silently and sniffing every now and then. Finally, she pulled away from him and gave him a shy smile. "Nii-san?"

"Hn?"

"Can I see you?" she asked softly.

Sasuke crinkled his brow in confusion. "What do you mean? By activating your Sharingan?"

Haine shook her head. "Tsunade-sama said I can't use my eyes until I'm out of the hospital, under penalty of more hospital time." Sasuke laughed at that. "Can I see your face with my hands?"

Understanding what she was asking, Sasuke's eyes softened. "Sure." He said as he grabbed her hands and brought them to his face.

With a wide smile, Haine slowly ran her fingers over Sasuke's face, who had closed his eyes so she wouldn't accidentally poke them. Gradually, Haine made a picture in her mind, and her smile grew impossibly wide. "Onii-san, Hinata-san is a very lucky girl to have such a handsome fiancé!" She laughed. She remembered all the fan girls her brothers had when they were younger; she could only imagine that they had gotten worse with time. The thought was too funny!

Sasuke smirked, eyes still closed. "I guess, though I feel like I'm the lucky one everyday."

"Awww." Haine cooed, smiling as she withdrew her hands and Sasuke opened his eyes. "So, what do you guys do when you're alone?" Asked with a mischievous smile, wiggling her eyebrows. She didn't know what she was doing really, but Naruto had told her to do this to her brother one day and to see how he would react. She didn't understand, but she was curious.

Sasuke choked on a surprised laugh. "Who told you to say that?" He asked, because he knew his sister had no idea what she was insinuating. Someone had to of told her to do this, and he had a sneaking suspicion of who it was.

Haine smiled. "Naruto-san." He made a mental note to maim his 'best friend' later for putting this into his sister's still pure mind.

"Don't listen to the dobe anymore." Sasuke grumbled before sighing, a smile crossing his face. "Besides, you're too young to know."

"Hey!" Haine said with a pout as Sasuke chuckled, and then smiled. "Can I call her 'Hinata-nee-chan' then?" Haine asked excitedly. She'd always wanted a sister!

Sasuke chuckled. "You'll have to ask her." He ruffled her hair. "Tomorrow, when you get out. She'll take you shopping for some clothes."

Haine's smile faded a bit. "But I can't see what I buy, nii-san."

Sasuke patted her head. "I trust Hinata. She'll buy you what you want. Trust me."

Haine smiled again, feeling a bit better. She liked Hinata, but she wasn't sure if she could trust her with buying things for herself. She trusted her brother, so if he trusted Hinata, she'd trust her too. "Okay, Sasuke-nii."

* * *

A lone figure stood before a mountain of rumble, not too far from the former village of Otogakure. Bodies littered the place in and around the destroyed base, the ground painted red with the blood of allies and enemies alike. The figure; a man in a hooded cloak- picked up a headband, wiping away some blood off of the metal, smearing it over the emblem of The Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Kukukuku…hahaha…AhahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The man laughed hysterically, the hood falling back as he threw his head back with insane laughter. It revealed grey hair and mad snake-yellow eyes.

His only hope of getting revenge on the Uchiha had been in this base. He had been planning on taking her eyes, doing what Orochimaru had not done when he had the chance. It seemed like every time he planed his revenge, that blasted Uchiha would get in his way. No matter, he'd just think of another. He'd get his revenge. It was only a matter of time.

"_SAAASUKEEEEEEE!_"

* * *

Hey! Please forgive me if Sasuke seems a bit OOC here, but you gotta give him a break. The guy's going through a highly emotional time. Plus! He's changed since he met Hinata!

Anyways! Hope you liked it please review! They nurture my imagination...

~Star


	4. Friends and Love

Disclamier: For the last time, Naruto is not mine!

Hey guys, Star here! Thank you so much for the review! I apologize for the long wait, I had a lot going on and had a bit of writer's block, so the reviews really helped! There are a lot of things in this chapter and I hope it worked out. Things get a little hot and heavy in this chapter, not too much, but please, plase, **PLEASE** tell me if the rating needs to go up. I'm not planning on making this a smut fic, but I might have gotten a little carried away -blush- lol Anyway, I hope you enjoy this!

~Star

* * *

**Chapter Three**: Friends and Love

Sasuke held his sister's hand as he led her through the busy streets of Konoha, ignoring all the stares they were getting. Ever since the Council meeting, rumor of another Uchiha spread throughout the village like wildfire. Most of them hadn't believed it, but now that they were seeing the proof, they couldn't stop looking for two reason: one being that there were two Uchihas now, the other being that the two gave off completely different auras. Haine was approachable, while Sasuke was cold and distant.

"Nii-san, I knew Konoha was huge, but I'd forgotten just how big it was!" Haine said happily as she took in everything with her senses, whipping her head back in forth, making it seem as if she were looking at things. None of the villagers watching noticed that her eyes were unfocused and that she was blind. "There are so many sounds and smells!"

Sasuke smirked. "You sound like a dog, Haine-chan." A tongue sticking out rudely from Haine's mouth was his response, causing the usually stoic Uchiha to chuckle lightly as he came to a stop. "We're here."

"Okay!" She replied, having made a somewhat decent mental map based off her senses. She'd get a better look when she was more confident with her Sharingan. She had just gotten out of the hospital and though Tsunade had said it was okay to use it now, she wanted to wait a little bit before she did so. Just in case. She was also glad that they had reached his apartment because, though she didn't want to admit it to anyone, she had developed a phobia of wide open areas. It messed with her senses and made her feel more of a handicap than she was okay with.

A small jingling sound caught her attention and she imagined her brother unlocking his front door. The sound of that happening reached her ears and she smirked.

"This way." Sasuke said as he opened the door, grabbing Haine's hand and leading her in.

"Wow, this place is big!" She said as she stretched her senses. "Is this really an apartment? I thought they were smaller…"

Sasuke smirked at his sister's innocent surprise. "No. I bought a house and sold my apartment when you came back. My apartment was too small for the two of us. It's been kinda creepy living here by myself for the past month, but I think that'll change."

"You…bought a house?" Haine said in wonder as she tried to take in everything.

"Hn." He said as he continued to watch her take in everything. "Let me show you around."

"It's okay, nii-san, I can pretty much sense everything in here."

"Just in case." Sasuke said, and for the next few hours he familiarized Haine with their new home. There were a few times when she stumbled against an object, but otherwise, he noted, that she quickly learned where things were and was making a mental map, if her expression was anything to go by.

"This place is amazing nii-san!" Haine said happily as they lounged on one of the couches in the living room. Well, Haine lounged, with her body thrown carelessly onto the sofa. Sasuke, on the other hand, was merely leaning back into the soft cushions, relaxing beside his hyper sister. She was especially touched that her brother had her disability in mind when he decorated the place. Or maybe it was Hinata who did the decorating, because her brother seemed a bit less creative now…

"When you're feeling up to it," Sasuke began after a few minutes in content silence, "me and my former sensei can train you to make your Sharingan more proficient."

"Really? Thank you so much, nii-san!" Haine said excitedly as she surprised her brother with a massive hug. Sasuke froze in shock before slowly wrapping his arms around her, chuckling softly. She pulled back abruptly, staring blanking into his face. "Why is your sensei helping though?"

Sasuke smirked. "He's Hatake Kakashi, otherwise known as the Copy Cat Ninja. He has a Sharingan eye, given to him by his best friend before he died." He purposely left out the fact that Obito was that same best friend. His sister didn't need to know that.

"Whoa." Haine whispered as she got out of the hug. "So I get to be taught by you, and the man who taught you?"

"Hn." Sasuke smirked.

"Awesome!" She squealed before the sound of the door opening cut her off. She immediately smiled when she recognized the person's chakra.

"Sasuke-kun? H-Haine-chan?" The timid voice of Hyuuga Hinata reached their ears.

"Hinata-san!" Haine said happily as she launched herself from the couch and at the shy kunoichi at the front door. "Do you see this place? Can you believe it?"

"Hai, Haine-c-chan." Hinata laughed happily, pleased that the girl like the house she had helped decorate. "But please, c-call me 'Hinata-chan'. After a-all, we will be sisters s-soon."

Haine blushed, but her smile widened. "Okay, Hinata-chan!"

"Hey." Sasuke said as he approached Hinata, neither having heard him get up from the couch. Leaning in with an intense look in his eyes, he gave Hinata a lingering kiss that left her with a deep blush.

"O-ohayo…" The Hyuuga stuttered, her blush increasing when she noticed the smirk on Haine's face. Even though she knew the girl was blind, her sensing capabilities were positively phenomenal.

Haine's smirk grew into a smile as she felt how happy her brother was at this moment. She didn't really get kissing, or why it made people happy, but she remembered her parents used to do it when she was younger and it always made her mother smile and her father seem softer. So it must be a good thing, right? She'd ask later.

Sasuke kissed Hinata one more time before turning to Haine. "Hinata came to take you shopping. I know you don't want to, but you _can _use your Sharingan to see what you buy."

Haine blushed and looked away sheepishly. "Hai, nii-san." She reached up and twirled a strand of her now short hair. It had been cut earlier that morning before Sasuke had taken her to his house. They had all agreed that a short haircut would be better for her to maintain. Now it reached just above her shoulders with a bit of layers. She wasn't sure how it looked, but she liked it so far. "Ano…what will you be doing?"

Sasuke sighed. "My month-long vacation is over. When you first came, I was able to convince Tsunade to give me a break, leaving everything to my Second in Command. Now that your recovered, the old bat's ready to drive me into the ground. I have a week long mission near Kusagakure. Apparently a bunch of bandits are giving them trouble and they called Konoha for some reinforcements. I leave in an hour"

"Are y-you the only one g-going?" Hinata asked, some concern in her voice. Haine stayed silent, but felt just as concerned.

"Yes, but I'll be fine." Sasuke said and kissed Haine on the forehead, before kissing Hinata again. "Don't worry, I'll be okay. You two have fun, I need to finish getting ready. And Haine," he said in a stricter tone, automatically catching the younger Uchiha's attention, "stay with Hinata at all times. She'll be living here with you until I get back. Do not go with anyone unless you know them or Hinata says it's okay. Do you understand? I still have many enemies in this village despite my standing. Many of them will not hesitate to hurt you to get to me."

"And Hinata-chan?" Haine asked, suddenly worried for her soon-to-be sister.

Sasuke smirked. "Hinata is an elite Jonin, my fiance, and Neji's cousin. If they could actually land a hit on her, Neji and the entirety of the Hyuuga clan will slaughter them. You're in good hands"

"OK, Sasuke-nii." She hugged him tightly, taking in his scent. "Come home safely."

Sasuke hugged his sister tightly, relishing the words he hadn't heard in a long time. Sure, Hinata said something similar, but it was different coming from a sibling. "I will." He turned to Hinata and found her watching them with tears in her eyes; she'd always wanted to give him his family back, and was happy beyond belief that the impossible had happened. His own eyes softened and he reached out to her until he was hugging both girls tightly.

When the older Uchiha came back to Konoha, he never expected to have some one capture his heart. He also didn't expect a piece of his heart to come back. Now he had two girls to live for, and he swore to himself that he would protect them no matter what, even if it cost him his life.

* * *

"Man, I'm so bored." Kiba sighed as he walked down the busy streets of Konoha's marketplace, his finger laced behind his head and his elbows pointing up in the air. A whine next to him made him smirk as he glanced down at his companion. "You too, huh, Akamaru?" A confirming bark made the dog-lover chuckle.

As of right now, he was on a much deserved break after his month-long mission. The only problem; he was bored. Shino was doing some training with his father, Hinata was no doubt with her fiancé, and he didn't know where everyone else was, and was feeling too lazy to search for them. _I've been hanging around Shikamaru too much._ He thought with some humor before a couple of scents caught his attention; lavender, herbs, and…peaches and cream.

Automatically, his body went in search for the owner of that last scent before he even consciously decided it. It sort of unnerved him that he was this attracted to a girl…or woman, whatever. She looked to be fifteen when he knew full well that she was nineteen. It wasn't just her scent that attracted him, it was _everything _about her. Even though he had only interacted with her less than a handful of times since she got back(meaning only two times and she occupied his thoughts most of the time), her personality, silent strength, optimism, and her child-like innocence called to him. He wasn't really concerned with his attraction to her but…did she have to be the younger sister of the second freaking strongest shinobi in the elemental nations?

So it was with trepidation that Kiba allowed his body to lead him to his destination. He knew he probably shouldn't get involved with her since she was a recovering victim of extreme circumstances and Sasuke's little sister, but…

"Kiba-san!" Haine said happily as she turned away from a clothing store front as she sensed him from a little over twenty feet away, Hinata smiling softly at the girl's excitement.

…it was worth in when she smiled at him like that.

Eating up the space between them with Akamaru by his side, he smirked as he greeted the two. "Ohayo, Hinata-chan, Haine-san." The massive white dog beside him gave his own greeting as he practically tackled both girls, giving them sloppy licks causing them to giggle. "What are you girls doing here? And where's Sasuke? I figured he wouldn't be letting you out of his sights, if ever, Haine-san." He didn't mention that he was slightly concerned about her being out by herself. Granted, she was with Hinata, but the Uchiha still had some enemies that wouldn't mind attacking a blind girl, or the seemingly weak Hyuuga.

Haine pouted. "Nii-san has a mission, and will be gone all week."

Hinata giggled. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Kiba-kun. We are s-shopping for clothes for H-Haine-chan, and I'll b-being staying with her at their h-house while Sasuke-kun is gone." She said the last part. Seeing his concern and noting how he relaxed he became at that information. She smiled at this. Kiba already considered Haine a friend and comrade. That was a very good thing, as the girl would need as many trustworthy people in her life as she could get.

"Well, that's good." Kiba said, noticing the bag of storage scrolls that Haine held In her hands, no doubt holding all of her purchases so far. He would've continued if he hadn't noticed a few of the villagers, and a few ninja, glaring at them. At least none of them were stupid enough to approach them.

"Oi, what the hell is Uchiha whore doing here? And who's that babe with her?" A foreign shinobi from Amegakure said rather low, but it wasn't enough it keep it from ninja ears. He was standing on the other side of the street with another shinobi from his village.

"I don't know, but she's hot." His companion said.

_I spoke too soon._ Kiba thought irritably and glared at the ninja. He noticed that Hinata had flinched slightly and that Haine had tensed, signaling that they had heard them. Akamaru growled at the two Ame shinobi.

"I would watch what I say in the village of said Uchiha if I were you." Kiba growled loud enough for the Ame nin and a few others to hear. "You wouldn't want some one to tell the Head of ANBU that someone was messing with his family, would you? Especially if they happen to know your scents." He finished, a wolfish and positively murderous grin on his face as he rose his killing intent just enough to unnerve the foreign shinobi. He had purposefully left out Haine's relationship Sasuke, merely grouping her as 'family'. The village already knew, the world could find out later.

The unknown Ame shinobi shivered at the feeling the wolfish shinobi gave off and the thought of being the focus of the infamous Uchiha's rage, before shaking it off and sneering. "Che, whatever." Without another word, the two ninja left the scene.

"Thank y-you, Kiba-kun." Hinata said softly, a shameful blush on her face. Even though she was somewhat used to it, that particular hurtful name always made the timid woman feel dirty.

"Aw, Hinata-chan." Kiba sighed as he pulled the woman into his side to comfort her. She gave a delicate sniff as she hugged one of her best friends tightly with trembling hands. "Don't listen to what those idiots say. They're nothing but a bunch of no-good bastards that don't know the sharp end of kunai until it's too late." He turned his attention to the other woman near him and noticed that she had become unusually quiet. Upon closer inspection, he found silent tears slowly running down her face from her sightless eyes. "You too, Haine-san." He said softly as he reached with one arm and wiped a few of her tears away with his thumb. "Don't give them the satisfaction of seeing you cry. You're stronger than that."

Not being able to talk, Haine gave a stiff nod. She had been told that many people still disliked or hated her brother, but to call Hinata something so…disgusting as that? Because of her capture, she didn't know a lot of things people her age should, but bad words she did. To hear those men call her sister(for that is what she now considered Hinata since it was going to happen anyway) such a word made her angry, sad, and afraid. There were many more of these people out there and she could not see them…

"O-oh, Haine-chan." Hinata said in a caring voice, despite her own hurt, as she saw the girl's emotional state, and left Kiba's comfort to offer the young girl her own. "It's okay, Haine-chan. Kiba-kun's right, they know nothing. It's okay." She murmured as she rubbed the girl's back soothingly, waiting for her trembling to stop. They were making quite a scene and gaining quite the crowd, but a glare form Kiba and a growl from Akamaru deterred most, if not all curious eyes.

"Better?" Hinata asked softly and smiled gently when Haine nodded.

"H-hai…gomen." She sniffed before pulling away and wiping at her grey eyes. "It's just that, you're so nice, and what they said was so mean." Haine said this with a pout and glare. Kiba had to disguise a laugh as a cough because she looked more like an angry kitten than an angry Uchiha. In a nutshell, she looked positively adorable.

Deciding to lighten up the mood, Kiba ruffled Haine's hair. He got an indignant squeak from the younger Uchiha and smirked. "So what were you two up to before I found you?"

"Shopping!" Haine said with a smile, trying to put behind her what had just happened. It was what had kept her sane for all these years; her ability to box up bad memories. She knew it would backfire on her one day-that there would one day be something so heartbreaking that it would be too much to box up, but for now, it would just have to do.

"Have you two eaten yet?" Kiba asked with a tilt of his head, noticing for the first time the bag of scrolls that Haine held in her hands. They were probably storage scrolls that held all her purchases so.

Haine shook her head, but it was Hinata that spoke. "Iie. We started a-a bit after ten o'clock, but we are getting p-pretty hungry now that it's noon. Actually, w-we were just about to decide o-on a place to eat when we ran into y-you."

"Cool, mind if I join you?" He asked, and Akamaru whined for extra convincing.

Hinata giggled at the dog's attempt. "Of course."

Nobody noticed the little pleased smile that crossed Haine's face.

"There's that barbeque place that Choji loves." Kiba suggested, looking at Haine to see if she'd like that.

The aforementioned girl tilted her head to the side curiously. "What's barbeque?"

Hinata was heartbroken at the innocent question and Kiba was torn between wanting to kill Orochimaru all over again and blushing at how cute Haine was in that moment. He quickly looked away so Hinata wouldn't see his face, just in case, and headed in the direction of said eatery.

"How about you try it, and then if you don't like it, we'll go somewhere else?" Kiba suggested as the girls followed him.

"OK!" Haine said happily, grabbing Hinata's hand as the other woman led the way as they followed Kiba.

"I-if you don't like t-the food there, I know this s-seafood restaurant." Hinata said as they fell beside Kiba's right, with Haine between them and Akamaru on his left, wagging his tail wildly. The dog loved barbeque. "It's a bit e-expensive, but worth t-the extra ryo."

"Seafood…" Haine mused as they walked to their chosen destination. "That's fish and stuff like that, right?"

"Yep, that's it." Kiba grinned at Haine before it widened. "Looks like we have some company."

"Huh?" Haine and Hinata said simultaneously.

"Oi!" Kiba shouted, surprising Haine a bit before she realized that he was talking to someone.

"Eeeeh? What are you doing here Kiba-kun?" Haine heard a female voice ask. "I thought you were on a mission. Ohayo, Hinata-chan!"

"I just got back yesterday, Ino-chan." Kiba replied. "I'm here with Hinata-chan and Haine-san."

"Haine-san? Troublesome." Another male voice grumbled lazily, prompting another male voice to chuckle. "Hinata-chan."

"Don't be like that, Shika." The new male voice said with humor, obviously finding his friend's grumblings amusing. "Ohayo, Hinata-chan."

"Ino-chan, S-Shikamaru-kun, Choji-kun! Ohayo g-gozaimasu!" Hinata said happily, calming Haine down a bit since the Hyuuga seemed to be happy to see these new arrivals. "How h-have you three b-been?"

"We're good, just got done with a small mission that took a couple of days." Ino said aridly, waving her hands dismissively in the air, before turning her attention to Haine. "Your name was Haine-san, was it?" _Why does that name sound familiar?_

"H-hai." Haine said shyly. As a child, she had been shy around strangers and had never gotten over it.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Yamanaka Ino, but you can just call me Ino." Ino said before gesturing to the men behind her. "These are my teammates; Nara Shikamaru and Akimichi Choji."

_Choji? The guy who likes barbeque?_ Haine thought to herself.

"You're Sasuke's little sister, aren't you?" Shikamaru stated, though it sounded more like a question.

"Eh? Really?" Ino asked in disbelief, taking a closer look at the new girl before her. Now that she really looked, the girl looked a lot like the brooding Uchiha except for her eyes. "No wonder your name sounded familiar!"

"How'd you know that?" Kiba asked curiously. "Most people don't know what she looks like at the moment, only guessing her identity if they see her with either Hinata-chan or Sasuke because of all the rumors."

"She came up in a Council meeting about a month ago." Ino explained. "They were just sorting things out."

Hinata frowned. That had been the same day Haine had brought back to Konoha. She had been waiting in Sasuke's apartment when he returned tense, yet pleased about something. He had told her a little about what had happened and their attempt at getting him executed (something that made Hinata boil with rage), but other than that, he had been quite silent that night, just holding her and occasionally kissing her. It had worried her, because the Uchiha only acted like that around her nowadays when he was really upset about something. She could only assume that it had something to do with Haine.

Shikamaru stared at the young Uchiha intensely, and saw that she was fidgeting as if she felt his stare, but her eyes were just aimlessly wondering around their immediate area. He sighed as he stretched his hand forward at Haine, getting all their attention. "Nara Shikamaru. I don't really care for honorifics, too much trouble, so you can just call me Shikamaru." He wouldn't normally go out of his way to introduce himself to someone, normally just saying his name and not bothering to bow like everyone else, but this girl was obviously the exception.

Haine smiled shyly at this as she tried to take his hand on the first try and succeeded. "Uchiha Haine, nice to meet you, Shikamaru…kun." Now that she had physical contact with him, it made it easier to memorize his signature.

Shikamaru sighed, but smirked. "Troublesome." It seemed she was just as polite as Hinata.

"Shika?" Choji asked curiously.

"I already introduced you." Ino huffed, before getting an evil smirk. "Or do you want me to tell Temari on her next visit that you were trying to get another woman's attention?"

"Tch. Troublesome." Shikamaru sighed as he lazily glared at Ino. "The girl's blind, I'm making it easier for her." His two teammates blinked in shock and confusion before studying Haine intensely, who fidgeted nervously under their scrutiny.

"Stop staring, you're making her nervous." Kiba mocked growled with a smirk, snapping Ino and Choji out of their thoughts.

"Sorry, it's just that I never would have guessed since you looked in our directions and all." Ino said as she grabbed the girl's hand and shook it.

"Ano, it's okay." Haine said with a blush, slightly embarrassed for some reason. "My senses are really sharp and I have great chakra sensing abilities, so if I know someone's chakra signature, I can sense them from about a mile or so away from any direction."

Kiba whistled as the others stared at the young Uchiha in shock. "Damn, I knew your senses were near that of my clan, but I didn't expect them to be that good."

"Yea, wow." Ino mumbled as she released the girl's hand. "You'd make one hell of a sensor."

"I agree." Choji said as he reached for Haine's hand and shook it. "Akimichi Choji."

Haine smiled. "Nice to meet you."

"Well, since we got intros out the way, are you guys doing your tradition by eating here as well?" Kiba asked since they were standing in front of the restaurant's entrance.

"Yep!" Choji said enthusiastically. "You guys want to eat with us?"

"If that's a-alright with you." Hinata said with a smile. It had been a long time since a bunch of them had sat down and just talked. She was sure that Haine would enjoy it.

"Tradition?" Haine asked Kiba as the group headed into the building.

"Yeah." He answered with a nod. "You see, when they were Genin, their sensei would take them to this restaurant after every mission as a sort of reward and just for down time. Even when they didn't have missions he would take them here at least once a week as a form of team bonding."

Haine smiled softly. "That sounds nice. Where is he then?"

The group became quiet as they made their way to a big booth and took their seats. Shikamaru answered. "He died protecting his loved ones. A true shinobi and man."

"Gomen nasai." Haine said softly, tears already making their way into her eyes. She was afraid they'd be made at her for bringing it up and not be her friends anymore.

"Don't worry, Haine-chan!" Ino said quickly, alarmed at the girl's tears. "You didn't know."

"They're n-not mad at you." Hinata said softly, guessing at what must have been going through the girl's mind. Despite being just like Naruto personality-wise, when it came to other people and dealing with them, she was still very much inexperienced. She looked at the others for reassurance. "Right?"

"Of course not!" Ino said with a kind smile, automatically connecting the dots somewhat.

"R-really?" Haine sniffed as she rubbed at her eyes.

"'Course not." Kiba said as he placed a hand on her shoulder without thinking. "I've known these guys since I was thirteen; trust me, no harm was done."

"'Kay, gomen." Haine said softly as a blush spread across he cheeks from embarrassment and Kiba's contact with her.

"Let's hurry up and order, I'm starving!" Choji practically roared, causing everyone momentary shock before Hinata giggled.

"There he goes again, thinking that everything can be solved with food!" Ino moaned in comic despair which caused Haine to giggle in return. Kiba smiled slightly at that. The younger Uchiha looked much better smiling than crying.

"Don't diss the food, Ino-chan." Choji growled dangerously, and Haine was confused by the boy's sudden hostility. "The food knows all and does all."

Kiba laughed while the big man's teammates groaned. "Don't mind him, Haine-san. Choji just really, REALLY likes food."

"Oh." Haine said softly but then giggled as Choji and Shikamaru got into a one-sided argument about the benefits and drawbacks of fat free foods.

Ino sighed. "I wish Sai-kun was here. At least then I could tease him."

"Sai-kun?" Haine asked with a tilt of her head as she focused on the blond female(not that she could see that she was blond).

Ino nodded, "Hai, he's a pale, socially inept guy who still has trouble distinguishing sarcasm from actually questions, but lately it's been easy to tease him, so he's become my new source of amusement."

Haine blinked in confusion, before a cold feeling crept up inside her. Where had she heard that before? 'New source of amusement'…?

"Why don't you just admit that you like him, Ino-chan? It's troublesome just to watch you guys go back and forth." Shikamaru sighed, his 'conversation' with Choji cut short when the waitress appeared.

_New source of amusement…_

Ino blushed at Shikamarut's blunt state and Kiba's outright laughter at her expense. "It's not like that, Shika-kun. Sure, I may like him, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't. You know how clueless he is." She said this as she twirled a strand of her long blond hair between her fingers, before stopping and glaring at Kiba, who was still laughing, along with Hinata. "Will you stop laughing, you mutt?!"

"I-I'm sure Sai-kun wouldn't m-mind you showing him, I-Ino-chan." Hinata giggled. It really was quite amusing to see the strong, confident Yamanaka Ino suddenly act insecure because of a guy. It just showed how affected she was by him.

"_You're going to be my new source of amusement, Haine-chan." A dark voice said. "Please don't bore me."_ Haine was no longer paying attention to the things around her.

"Ino-chan, you must really like him if you're this scared." Kiba chuckled and glanced quickly at Haine, who was sitting right next to him, and paused, ignoring the conversation around him. The younger Uchiha looked an unhealthy pallor and was trembling slightly. He frowned, noticing that Hinata had noticed, too. He made a gesture saying that he'd take care of it and she nodded.

Slowly, Kiba reached out and placed his hand over one of Haine's, which were balled up into fists on her lap. She flinched slightly at his touch and looked at him with a scared expression. "You're okay." He said softly and she stiffly nodded. Making a snap decision, Kiba took her hand in his and got up from his seat, pulling her with him. "We'll be back, you know what I like Hinata-chan." He said to all their questioning looks.

With that, he gently led Haine outside the restaurant and into an alley to give them some privacy. Not letting go of her hand, he turned towards her. "What happened back there?" Kiba asked softly, barely above a whisper. He knew she could hear him, though.

"I…" She hugged her body with her free arm, refusing to let go of Kiba's hand. She did not want to be left alone with her memories. "I'm fine…I just…had a flashback." She tried to smile, though it was wavering as her eyes filled with tears. "I'm okay."

Kiba didn't speak as he slowly pulled Haine into his arms, crushing her tightly against him. He felt her trembling increase as she tried to fight back the tears.

"I'm…fine…" She gasped, her voice thick with emotion. "I'll be OK…Kiba-san..."

"Haine-san." Kiba said in a soft but firm tone. He honestly didn't know what he was doing at the moment. His body had just acted when he had seen her trying so hard to be strong. "To cry is not to be weak."

Haine held her breath for a second more before she let her emotions go completely. She didn't know what it was about this man that she barely knew, but she felt so safe with him. Just like when she's with her brother but…different.

The two of them stayed like that for a few minutes, Kiba occasionally tightening his grip on her, until Haine finally calmed down. Slowly, Haine pulled away from him with a sheepish smile on her wet face.

"Gomen, Kiba-san." She said shyly, a light blush spreading across her cheeks.

"Don't worry about it." Kiba said as he wiped a few tears from her still wet face, before a smirk appeared and his tone became more playful. "You know, I think we're close enough for you to call me '-kun' and for me to cal you '-chan' now, since I saved you and all, and now this. What's say you?" He nudged her a bit with his elbow.

Haine let out a harsh laugh that turned into a giggle. "OK, Kiba…kun." Her blush deepened.

"Good, Haine-_chan_." He smirked, emphasizing the honorific. He ignored the slight warming of his face. "Anyway, we should get back inside. Those guys might start to get suspicious and think we're up to something and your face looks a bit better now."

"Eh?" She said in a confused manner before bringing a hand to her face and feeling that it was wet with tears. "Oh!" She squeaked, completely forgetting about his other comment and hurriedly wiped away the remaining wetness from her face and then looked to Kiba for the verdict.

"Better." He said and took her hand, more of a way to comfort her than to led her back into the restaurant and their friends. She was an excellent sensor, after all. "Oh, one more thing." Haine looked at Kiba curiously. "'Fat' is a taboo word with Choji. He's really sensitive about it, so just don't say it."

"Okay." Haine giggled, slightly confused but finding it amusing for some reason. "Kiba-kun?"

"Yeah?" He inquired as he open the door.

"Thank you." She said with a grateful smile, and he knew she wasn't talking about the taboo word.

"Anytime." Kiba said with a genuine wolfish grin. Just before they reached their table he released her hand; he didn't think teasing would be very good thing for Haine at the moment.

"Haine-chan, you o-okay?" Hinata asked with a worried look and tone as they took their seats.

"Hai, I'm okay now." Haine said with a smile that eased Hinata's worries a bit. She gave Kiba a questioning look and he mouth out 'I'll tell you later'.

"You made it back just in time!" Choji said loudly. "The food just came!"

"I can tell, it smells yummy!" Haine said happily. The others noticed that she was forcing it a bit, but kept their curiosity to themselves. They were ninja; they had their own demons that they didn't want others to know about.

"Let's eat!" Choji cheered before digging in.

* * *

It had been two days since the barbeque fest, and Haine was still shocked that a person, Akimichi or not, could eat so much in one go. Seriously, where'd it all go? She had sensed he was a slightly larger than normal person, especially after what Kiba had told her about the 'taboo word', but still…

Of course, she had yet to see Naruto eat ramen.

Shaking her head, Haine focused on where Hinata was guiding her and her surroundings, trying to memorize them. She always seemed to have problems with that. Chakra signatures was one thing, directions were something else entirely.

The past two days with her brother's fiancé had been an amazing experience for Haine. After a brief explanation of her freak out at the restaurant (where Hinata had been very patient and supportive about), they had gone shopping and gotten a bunch of different clothes (she had tried using her Sharingan like Sasuke suggested, but it had given her a headache so she just trusted Hinata to get her nice things), talked about various things (teams, Konoha, the war, Sasuke), and ate Hinata's cooking. Oh man, could that girl cook! Granted, Haine hadn't eaten a decent meal in a _loooong _time, but if there was a heaven, that's what it must taste like: Hinata's cooking.

Right now the two women were on their way to visit Hinata's family since she had been staying with Haine to watch over her. Even though she knew her disability warranted that type of treatment, she was glad that Hinata didn't make her feel like a child that need caring for, or a complete invalid. She let her attempt to do things on her own, but if she need assistance Hinata would help her, and even then it was just enough to get her on her feet again.

The two turned a corner and were greeted by another person. From what Haine could sense, they were male and powerful. She would have been on guard if Hinata had not seemed to be so happy to see the person.

"Neji-nii-san!" Hinata said happily as she hugged the other Hyuuga.

"Hinata-sama." The man said in an otherwise emotionless tone as he returned the hug, but to Haine's ears, she could hear the fondness in his voice.

"Nii-san?" Haine asked curiously with a tilt of her head. "I didn't know you had a brother."

"Iie, w-we are cousins, b-but he is l-like a brother to m-me." Hinata said with a smile.

"Are you Uchiha Haine?" Neji asked curiously as he took in the appearance of the girl before him. If he was being honest, Haine looked like a female version of her brother with grey blind eyes.

"Hai." Haine said happily, feeling much more at ease since this stranger seemed a lot like her brother in personality. "Neji-san, right?"

Neji blinked once in mild surprise at her change from shy little girl to energetic girl before he smirked a bit. "Hn. You may call me Neji-kun since we will soon be family."

Haine smiled brightly. "Hai, Neji-kun!"

The older Hyuuga chuckled slightly before calming down. "Come, follow me. Hiashi-sama and Hanabi-sama will be delighted to meet you." Even though his relationship with his uncle and cousins had improved greatly over the years, the Hyuuga still found it uncomfortable to less formal around them. It was just too engrained into his being.

"Hai." Both females said as they followed the older one into the Hyuuga compound.

"Tenten-chan and Lee-kun are also here." Neji said with a hint of annoyance, though you could tell there wasn't that much heat in the words, if any. "I apologize for my teammates over enthusiasm, but they really wanted to meet you."

"Eh?" Haine asked in confusion, before a very fast object/life form made itself known to her to her senses as it approached the three.

"Neji-kun!" A loud male voice said excitedly.

"This is Lee-kun." Neji in a tired tone while Hinata giggled.

"Is Sasuke-kun's youthful little sister here yet?" Lee asked the older Hyuuga, having not heard what the man had said and completely oblivious to the two woman standing behind the Neji.

Neji tried to stay calm though his eyebrow twitched erratically. "She's right behind me." Sometimes, he really wondered how his best friend became a Jonin.

"Oh!" The loud man said, and Haine was really beginning to find him entertaining. "I apologize! Since I have failed to notice you, I will run 500 laps around Konoha! If I cannot do that, I will-" He was cutoff by a fist to the back of his head, courtesy of Tenten.

"I apologize for this idiot's antics, he's really just harmless." She said with a smile that belied the violence she had just committed towards her teammate. "My name is Hisagia Tenten, but you can just call me Tenten."

"Konnichiwa Tenten-san." Haine said with a giggle.

"That was very unyouthful, Tenten-chan." Lee grumbled as he rubbed his bruised head before standing straight up, a fist held up in righteous youthfulness and their flames burning in his eyes. "Nonetheless, I am Rock Lee! All my youthful friends call me Lee, and so may you!"

Haine giggled. "Uchiha Haine, Lee-san."

"Ah." Said an older, much deeper masculine voice a few feet away from the young adults. Haine was slightly surprised, she hadn't even sensed the man until he had made his presence known. It slightly unsettled her. "You must be, Uchiha Haine, correct?" A nod in confirmation from said girl. "I am Hyuuga Hiashi, and this is my daughter Hanabi-chan. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. Unfortunately, I have an unexpected meeting with the elders. If you'll excuse me." With that the Hyuuga Head bowed before heading down another hallway in the huge house.

Hanabi pouted. These past couple of years, the Hyuuga heiress had been showing more emotions. Especially since she became friends with Sarutobi Konohamaru and his gang. "I'd really like to stick around, too, but I got a summons from Hokage-sama. Demo…" Quickly, the youngest Hyuuga hugged the startled Uchiha. "I'd really like to get to know you better later, Haine-nee-chan." And with that Hanabi was out the door before the girl could respond.

"Nee…chan?" Haine said slowly before a wide and definitely happy smile spread across her face. "I'm a big sister!" Various chuckles sounded throughout the room at that.

"So, Haine-chan, what do you think of Konoha?" Tenten asked as everyone took their seats in the lavish living room of the Main House family. She took her seat one end of a couch with Lee between her and Neji, who had the other end. Hinata and Haine sat on the couch opposite them. Tenten crossed her legs.

"I like it a lot!" Haine said happily, and Neji could definitely see what Hinata meant when she said Haine looked like Sasuke but acted like Naruto. "It smells so nice here, so clean and fresh. Then there are the sounds…" Haine continued to describe her experience in the village for the first time in many years. Everyone listened in wonder as to how this child, because mentally she was just that, a child, could still be so…happy after all she's gone through. So open. It was both surprising and humbling.

Ten minutes into the conversation Neji stood up, gaining everyone's attention.

"Neji-kun?" Haine asked curiously.

"Forgive me," he bowed slightly, "but I just remembered that there was something that I meant to show Tenten-chan earlier. It will be but a moment."

"Okay." Haine said with a smile.

"Tenten-chan, if you will?" Neji asked as he made his way to a hallway.

"Uh, sure." Tenten said, slightly confused, but playing along as she got up from her seat and followed her friend.

"So tell me, Haine-chan, are the rumors about your youthful sensing abilities true?" Lee asked excitedly.

"Huh?" Haine asked, obviously confused by the energetic man's way of speaking.

Hinata giggled as she attempted to translate to Haine what Lee was asking her.

* * *

As soon as the door to Neji's room closed behind them, Tenten found herself pinned to it by her teammates body. She gasps in surprise, not at all expecting this to happen…well, not to this degree at least.

The man before her took advantage of her open mouth and crushed his against her as he thrust his tongue into her mouth, tangling it with her own. She moaned softly at the feel of this and his warm body pressed against hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer.

"Neji…" Tenten moaned softly as she broke the kiss for air, and he had to suppress a loud groan as he attacked her neck. He loved it when she said his name. It was only when they were like this that she dropped all and every honorific on his name, only when they were alone and together. "We can't…the Hyuuga…" She panted, her fingers tangling into his hair even as she weakly protested.

"It's against clan law to use the Byakugan in the compound." Neji stated breathlessly, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. He lightly bit the skin of her neck, causing the girl to gasp and moan as he licked the bruised flesh. "Besides, this is your fault."

Tenten laughed shakily at that before another soft moan left her lips, causing Neji to tense around her. Throughout the entire conversation with Uchiha Haine, and even before the girl had arrived, Tenten had been sending nearly invisible messages to him. A caress of her collarbone, a lick of her lips, an intense stare when no one was looking save him, or a cross of her legs. God, did he love her legs… She had been driving him crazy since she had first arrived and now he was at his limit.

Slowly, Tenten lowered her hands, feeling his muscles ripple beneath the clothe of his shirt. When her searching fingers met hot skin, Neji stiffened and let out a possessive growl.

"Careful Tenten." Neji grumbled in a deep, husky voice, causing her to shiver whimper slightly. "I'm at my limit. Any more and I might not stop."

"Neji…" Tenten whimpered as she slid her body against his. "Please…"

"Damnit, Tenten…!" Neji hissed in pleasure. "I can't…you know I can't…not yet…"

Tenten sighed as she slowly stilled her hands. "I know…" She pressed her forehead against his as they both tried to clam both their breathing and their bodies. No one, not even themselves, had expected the other to have such fiery passion within them when this first started. It was both terrifying and exhilarating for them as they constantly danced on the edge of passion, neither giving in, nor were they willing to pull away from temptation completely. They had finally found each other, but it was still too risky. It had happened suddenly, the two of them, seemingly out of nowhere. It had started raining one day while it was just the two of them out on a mission outside of the village. Tenten had been the closest female he knew, while she had had a crush on him since the Academy. As they sought cover, one thing had led to another, and here they were now. That had been over three months ago, and they had yet to tell anyone. It was too risky, not until Neji talked to his uncle, but he was afraid. The Hyuuga Council could try to brand Tenten, even though Hiashi had finally managed to ban it from the clan. The fear of that threat was still very real for Neji, however, and so he stalled. Tenten, for the most part, was cooperative and patient, though there were times where she would push him. Like today. "Gomen, Neji."

"It's okay." He whispered and kissed her softly on the lips one more time before pulling away and glaring at her lightly. "Just don't do that again in front of my family. Lee-kun is oblivious to these sort of things, but Hinata-chan is very observant."

Tenten smirked. "Hai, Neji-_sama_." Neji scowled as she giggled.

"Let's go back out." Neji grumbled as he opened the door, though not before Tenten used _henge(Transformation Jutsu) _to cover up her slightly bruised lips. Neji had done the same, but sealessly.

"OK."

* * *

Haine was very confused at the moment. She had no idea what she was hearing from the direction that Neji and Tenten had gone in, but she was fairly certain that they were the ones making it. It sounded like they were hurting, but their chakra signatures said otherwise. She would have said something to Hinata and Lee, but it seemed as if they were trying to keep it a secret. Was that what Neji had wanted to show Tenten? Why did it sound like they were hurting each other? So many questions swirled in her head, but she reframed from asking them, afraid she would upset people again, like she had with Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji, even though they said it was okay.

Haine sighed. She suppose she'd just have to ask Hinata when they got back home, along with that kissing questions. She had forgot about that one. When Neji and Tenten came back into the room, she could sense a jutsu being used, but again she kept he mouth shut. She couldn't help, however, the curiosity that burned in her eyes.

For the rest of the visit, both Tenten and Neji would wonder why it felt as if they had been caught.

* * *

And that's a wrap! Hoped you like it and please review!

Ja ne!

~Star


	5. The Talk

Disclaimer: Naruto? Mine? Please, maybe in my dreams.

Hey, sorry that it's taken so long guys. I had been trying to work on something for April, but it lost its flame after someone I knew died. We weren't that close, but still, I won't see him again, you know? And too add salt to the injury, I think I just lost a friend to one of the stupidest reasons ever. April's been hell. So I just decided to concentrate on this story. I really hope this chapter isn't too crappy, or too humorous, because I enjoyed writing it and it sort of lifted my spirits a bit. And it made me think, 'how will I give my child The Talk?' lol anyway, I hope you enjoy this, and I once again apologize for the delay.

~Star

* * *

Chapter Four**:** The Talk

It was raining, had been raining since anyone could remember, with few dry days per year. Such was the nature of the Land of Rain's climate. The populace of the country were made for this weather, as were their ninja. Water was their element. They were nearly invincible in their home country.

Unfortunately, because of the gloomy climate, no one was suspicious of a slouched over hooded figure as he walked along alone in the rain. It was late, most people were indoors, but it wasn't an unusual site. There were quite a few people still out in the rain, however, this particular person was purposely avoiding the general populace and ninja alike.

Slowly, the hooded figure made his way to a patch of seemingly dense forest, following some sort of path that traveled deep within the wooded area. It was a good hour until the figure reached his destination: a normal-looking rock with a few vines covering it. That is, until the figure made a couple of hand signs, whispered something to the wind, and the boulder came to life as it glowed faintly before rolling to the side just enough for the figure to enter. Leisurely, he entered and the giant stone glowed once more before closing the secret entrance off from the rest of the world.

"Kabuto-sama." A guard that stood in front of a heavily locked door greeted the hooded figure, who finally decided to pull back the hood from his face, revealing his yellow eyes and the patches of white scales on his otherwise human face.

Yakushi Kabuto gave the guard a firm nod before wordlessly gesturing for him to step away from the door. With a bow, the guard did as he was told and Kabuto entered the heavily locked door after doing another sequence of hand sings.

A flick of a switch revealed a dusty but neat lab. Ignoring everything else around him, Kabuto headed straight to a particular shelf and pulled out a thin black book. The title read: CURSED SEALS. Opening it, he began to laugh.

"Kukukuku." He found the page he was looking for and an evil grin spread across his face. "Soon, Sasuke-kun, soon I will get my revenge…"

* * *

Hinata was in quite a pickle here, and her face was flaming an almost unhealthy red. Not that the girl in front of her could see that. They had just gotten back from the Hyuuga compound and she was shocked at this turn of events.

"I-I'm s-sorry." Hinata stuttered as she blinked her eyes rapidly in an attempt get rid of her surprise and embarrassment. "W-what did y-you s-say?"

Haine blinked in confusion at Hinata's reaction to her questions. Was it really so weird? "Eto, never mind." Haine said, suddenly nervous that she might have done something wrong.

"N-no, it's o-okay." Hinata said quickly. "R-repeat your q-question, p-please."

"Ano," Haine hummed before deciding to do what Hinata requested, "why do people kiss?"

Hinata groaned internally. _So I really didn't hear it wrong the first time. I wish Sasuke-kun were here. He'd be better at this than I am_. She brought a hand up to cool her hot face. "W-well, people k-k-kiss when they, ano, really l-like each other. Eto, it is a-a sign t-that you like them o-or l-l-love them."

Haine scrunched her face deep in thought. "So you and onii-san kiss because you love each other?"

Hinata's blush, that had somewhat decreased, flared up again, but this time she smiled. "Hai. I l-love him very much, and even though he doesn't show it m-much to other people, I know h-he loves me, too."

The grey-eyed Uchiha was silent as she thought about something else, having one of her questions answered. Giving Hinata her full attention, the Hyuuga nearly fainted at what the young Uchiha said next. "So do you also make hurt sounds when you kiss?"

"W-where d-did you hear s-something like t-that?" The shy and now extremely embarrassed kunoichi asked.

The blind girl suddenly looked sheepish. "Ano, Neji-kun and Tenten-san were making them when Neji-kun wanted to show her something. Was he showing her kisses? Why did they hurt, though?"

"N-nani?!" Hinata nearly shouted, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. _Neji-nii-san and…Tenten-chan…? Why hasn't he told me this? _Hinata thought, slightly depressed and hurt that her cousin didn't trust her enough. However, the more she thought about it, the more she knew what the true reason was for him to keep their relationship a secret. She had to do something about it. Her cousin deserved happiness.

Haine had flinched slightly at Hinata's outburst, but had then began to sweat when she remained silent. Was that not what had happened? Had she been mistaken? Oh how she hated to be blind in these situations! Panicking, she began to retract her words. "I could have been wrong, Hinata-chan, so I wouldn't worry about it."

"N-no, it's okay Haine-chan.." Hinata quickly reassured. "I'm j-just shocked is all. Demo, d-don't tell anyone else about this, okay? N-not even Sasuke-kun. I think N-Neji-nii-san is trying to keep this a secret."

Haine nodded furiously, like a little kid aiming to please. "Hai! I pinky promise!"

Hinata giggled somewhat at this, but then remembered Haine's questions and a full blush spread across her face. "A-ano, a-a-about your q-question. Eto, t-t-they m-make t-that n-n-noise b-because, b-b-because…" For the life of her, the Hyuuga just couldn't get the words out. It was just too mortifyingly embarrassing of a subject for her to talk about.

Haine was starting to get worried. Why was Hinata having such a hard time saying this? Was it really a bad thing? Her eyes widened. Was kissing a bad thing? Was that it? Was that why Hinata couldn't say it, because she didn't want to tell her so she wouldn't do it? But then, if that was the case, why did her parents do it? And why did Hinata and Sasuke do it? _Argh! This was so confusing!_

Both women were getting frustrated when there was a knock at the door. Grateful for the divine intervention (because Hinata was sure it couldn't be anything else but that), got up to get the door. Opening it, she was pleasantly surprised by who she saw.

"N-Naruto-kun, S-Sakura-chan! It's so nice o-of you to visit!" Hinata exclaimed, still flushed by her conversation with the young Uchiha.

Naruto had a huge smile on his face, his figure mostly blocking Sakura out of view though Hinata could see her smiling face. "Konbanwa, Hinata-chan!" Naruto greeted before hugging the shy Hyuuga, who squeaked in surprise.

"K-konbanwa N-Naruto-kun." Hinata said back, eyes wide with surprise.

"Naruto…" Sakura said in a dangerous voice. "Stop making so much noise, you're making them fuss!" She hissed.

"Gomen, Sakura-chan." Naruto said sheepishly as he released Hinata, one of his hands rubbing the back of his head.

"Them?" Hinata asked curiously, peering behind Naruto to find another surprise.

In both of Sakura's arms laid two babies, both slightly fussed, but otherwise asleep. The one in Sakura's left arm was dressed in blue with a little white slug on the cap that covered most of his head. The hair that stuck out from under the cap was pink like his mother, though it had more red in it, making it darker in color. The baby in the her right arm was also dressed in blue, a little green frog face adorning his cap. His hair, however, was blond, just like his father's. And just like his brother, there seemed to be little streaks of red shooting through the blond tuffs. No doubt it was from Naruto's mother, Uzumaki Kushina.

"Oh K-Kami-sama, they're so precious!" Hinata whispered in wonder as she stared at the twins. They had been born a few days after Haine's return, and no one had seen them since. Being a Medical Ninja, Sakura had been very protective of her babies, not letting anyone save for Naruto to come even close, and no one wanted to make Sakura angry, not even Naruto. Meeting Sakura's gaze, Hinata asked, "May I hold one?"

"Are your hands clean?" Naruto asked, stilly smiling but somewhat serious. Sakura had rubbed off on him and he was determined to be a great father.

"Iie." Hinata said with a blush. "Come inside, and I'll go wash them. Haine-chan is in the living room, too."

"Arigatou, Hinata-chan." Sakura said as the new parents walked in.

"Can I see the babies, too?" Haine asked excitedly as she sensed the group walk into the living room. She had heard the entire conversation and was so excited about meeting the twins.

"You have to wash your hands first." Sakura said as she took a seat, Hinata having already left to the bathroom. "You look great, by the way!" She hadn't seen much of anyone since she had given birth. Now that the twins were a month-old, she was visiting people and catching up.

"Thanks!" Haine chirped, heading off towards the bathroom on her own, having become familiar with the place after a while to know her way around without a guide.

Naruto sat down beside Saskura and gently took their pink-haired son from his fiancé. After knowing Haine for at least a month, everyone knew what she meant when she asked to 'see' something. It usually, if not always, meant that she wanted to use her hands to make a picture in her head of what she was feeling. She hardly ever used her eyes, unless she really wanted to see something.

"So who's w-who?' The shy Hyuuga asked as she approached the family, passing Haine on her way to the bathroom, choosing to sit across from them.

Naruto grinned as he gently shifted his hold on his pink-haired son. "This one here is Uzumaki Kuroki!"

"And this one is Uzumaki Haruki." Sakura giggled. The blond baby gurgled happily in his mother's arms as he woke up slightly. The pinkette glanced at Hinata and smiled. "Ready?"

"Y-yes." Hinata smiled happily as Sakura gently transferred her child into the arms of the kind Hyuuga. Haruki blinked his eyes a couple of times before he stared into Hinata's eyes curiously. When she made a slightly funny face, the baby boy smiled adorably before releasing a high pitch laugh that caused his brother to awake and join in.

"Twins must really be connected, huh?" Haine laughed as she walked back into the room. She stopped when she felt she was close to them, and held her hands out before her. "My hands are clean! Can a see a baby now?"

"Sure." Naruto said as he patted the seat beside him. "Come sit here, Haine-chan."

""'Kay!" The blind Uchiha chirped as she took her seat. Gently, Naruto grabbed one of her hands and led it to Kuroki's face. Tenderly, Haine ran her hand over the baby's face and an expression of awe overtook her face.

"He's so…round, and soft." She said quietly.

Hinata smiled at the sight. "That's w-what baby's feel like. T-they are soft, round, bundles o-of joy!"

Haine smiled brightly.

"So what were you two doing before we got here and surprised you?" Sakura asked as she stretched. She loved her babies, but holding them all day cramped her arms somewhat.

Hinata's face turned a bright red and started stuttering, causing both Sakura and Naruto to raise an eyebrow at that. Haine just pouted. Before Hinata could get a coherent word out, Haine spoke.

"I was asking Hinata-chan why people sound like they are in pain when they kiss if it's supposed to be a good thing." The grey-eyed Uchiha pouted. "I don't understand." Then she looked in the direction of Naruto and Sakura. "Does it hurt for you, too?"

The future Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki both imitated Hinata's 'tomato act' and grew very quiet. One thought went through all their heads at the same time:

_Where's Sasuke-kun(-teme)?!_

* * *

"It was so embarrassing!" Hinata moaned into her hands as Kiba laughed his head off at her expense. She, Kiba, and Shino were sitting in Hinata's room at the Hyuuga Compound, sitting on the floor in a triangle-shape, just like in their Genin days. She had called them here because of her predicament with Haine.

Kiba found it hilarious, while Shino just quietly adjusted his glasses in silent amusement.

"Man! What I would have given to be a fly on that wall!" The Inuzuka howled humorously.

"T-the worst part is t-that, I n-need to have this t-t-t-talk w-with h-her." Hinata groaned again, her face glued to her hands. "She's n-never had s-someone give h-her 'T-The Talk'! I-if she were t-to get p-p-p-pregnant, Sasuke-k-kun would h-h-hate me! A-and then-"

"Calm down, Hinata-chan." Shino said calmly. "Haine-san will not get pregnant, and Sasuke-kun will not hate you."

"Yeah, Hinata-chan." Kiba added as he wrapped an arm around the distraught Hyuuga's shoulders. "We just gotta, you know, give her 'The Talk'."

"How, t-though?" Hinata asked as she finally removed her face from her hands, gazing pleadingly at her two best friends. "I c-can hardly t-talk a-a-about it w-without becoming i-i-incapacitated from e-embarrassment!"

"Maybe you should just wait for Sasuke's return?" Kiba offered.

Hinata shook her head. "I t-thought about that, b-but Sasuke-kun never had a-anyone give him 'The Talk' e-either. He sort o-of found out on h-his own."

"I knew he wasn't a virgin." Kiba grumbled. "Are you sure he's clean?"

"A-actually…" Hinata blushed. "He's n-n-never…h-he hasn't…"

Kiba's eyes widened. "He's a virgin?" At Hinata's shy nod, Kiba's jaw went slack with shock. He had thought for sure that the Uchiha had slept around before he fell for his timid best friend. Apparently, he was wrong.

"It's a shame the same can't be said about you." Shino teased quietly as he adjusted his glasses. "Why? Because you have a history of sleeping around." When the Inuzuka was seventeen, his hormones had kicked in full swing. Luckily, it had only lasted about a year. Unfortunately, it took a…certain event to put a stop to Kiba's womanizing ways. One that they all made sure not to mention in the dog-lover's presence.

The Inuzuka glared at the Aburame. "Shut up, pot calling the kettle black." Shino had been just as bad as Kiba, if not worse. He had just been more quiet about it. In fact, Shino was still going at it. He hated when his best friend teased him about it, because it brought up bad memories that he much rather forget, but he knew Shino never meant to hurt him with it, so they'd just throw harmless insults at each other and end up laughing at some of the really absurd ones. It was one of Shino's ways of telling him that if you could laugh at the past, everything would be alright.

"S-stop it, please!" Hianta said loudly, killing the insults in their mouth with her outburst. She knew Shino didn't mean anything by it, and that it was a form of their 'male bonding', but she knew that it brought up bad memories for Kiba. Ones that she wish she never knew. Plus, she rather not know about the sexual conquests of her best friends. She loved them, they were like brothers, but there was such a thing as too much information between even that of family. "C-can we p-please get back to t-the topic?"

Both men looked bashful. "Gomen, Hinata-chan." Kiba said softly.

"My apologies, Hinata-chan." Shino muttered. "We got carried away."

"It's a-alright." Hinata sighed, knowing they meant it. She was just really frustrated over this whole thing with Haine. She really did dread having to go through this with her own children one day. "Do e-either of you have any s-suggestions?"

"We could get a book for her." Shino suggested.

"But Haine-chan is blind, so maybe a recording of a book of sex ed." Kiba mused, one of his hands absently rubbing his chin. "Maybe a book for Hinata and Sasuke so they can talk it over with her, and a recording for Haine-chan."

"'Chan'?" Shino inquired, one of his eyebrows actually raising. "Since when did you and Sasuke-kun's little sister get close?"

An annoyed expression crossed Kiba's face as he looked away from their gazes, but the blush that came with it was unmistakable and Shino's interest was piqued. "Hey, I was the one who found her afterall. We're bound to be close." He saw the expression on Shino's face, for the Aburame had removed his glasses in disbelief. "It's not like that!" The Inuzuka denied, but even to his own ears it sounded like a lie.

"It seems that it is imperative that I meet Haine-san as soon as possible." Shino said with all seriousness. "Why? Because she seems to have garnered even your interest."

"Shino!" Kiba moaned in indignation, his cheeks burning. He glanced at Hinata, who had been giggling softly the whole time. "Don't you dare tell Sasuke about this!" He said, a slight panic to his voice. If the Uchiha knew that he was interested in his sister…

"Okay, K-Kiba-kun." Hinata giggled, and Kiba sighed. This just reaffirmed Shino's hunch, which made him want to meet this girl even more. If she was bringing Kiba out of his self-imposed singleness, and the Inuzuka was willing…he had to meet her.

"Anyway, that's a great plan." Shino said, getting back to the subject. "Why? Because it makes the most sense and will benefit both parties."

"Yeah." Kiba said, thankful for the change in conversation. "We should probably get them by tomorrow." Then he remembered something and sighed. "Aw, crap. I have a two-day mission that starts tomorrow."

"I can take care of this then." Shino said, a pleased note taking root in his voice. "Maybe this way I can meet Sasuke-kun's sister."

Kiba sighed and ran a hand over his face in resignation. Once Shino made up his mind about something, it was nearly impossible to change it. "Whatever."

* * *

On his way back to Konohagakure, Sasuke was pissed. There hadn't been a single ninja in the group of bandits that had been attacking merchants and travelers near Kusagakure. Not a single ninja! The work had been beneath him, and that damned bat of a Hokage knew this. When he got back, he was going to have to explain, yet again, what was worth his skills and time.

_Damn bat…_

He was about five minutes away from Konoha, and he couldn't wait to see his two girls. Sasuke frowned at that as he once more damned the Hokage in his mind. His sister had just been released from the hospital and Tsunade sends him off on a mission right off the bat.

_I really need to talk to Tsunade…_

When he reached the front gates, it took all his self-control not to tap his feet with impatience.

"Are you okay, Uchiha-san?" One of the gate keepers asked, and for the first time Sasuke realized that it was the usual two; Kamizuki Izumo and Hagane Kotetsu. It was Izumo who had asked the question. The Uchiha relaxed a little in the presence of some of the few shinobi that he actually trusted.

"Hn." The stoic Uchiha replied before hesitating slightly. "I'm worried about my imouto."

"Ah, that's right. I'd heard that she was released." Kotetsu said as he scratched his head. "How is she? We haven't had a chance to meet her yet."

Sasuke was suddenly overwhelmed by strong protective instincts, and it was so random that he was stunned silent for a few seconds. It took him another few seconds to get himself under control and not strike out at Kotetsu and keep him away from his sister.

"She's…good." Sasuke said slowly and cleared his throat. "We done here?"

"Yeah." Izumo said with an amused smirk, and Sasuke glared at the man as he left, suspecting that he knew what was eating at the Uchiha.

"What I do?" Kotetsu asked as he scratched his dark brown spiky hair with a bemused expression, having also caught the Uchiha's suddenly weird behavior.

Izumo smirked and patted his comrade and best friend on the back. "You just helped create every potential boyfriend's worst nightmare: the overprotective big brother."

"Poor bastards." Kotetsu smirked while Izumo snickered.

Meanwhile, Sasuke stretched out his senses; his goal to find his family. If he hadn't been so wrapped up in a slight panic at all the evils a boy could do to his naïve sister, he would've been surprised at how good it felt to think that word 'family' after so long. He didn't even bother to go report to the Hokage, she'd find out sooner or later that he was here.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Sasuke started to get frantic. _Where are they? They couldn't have left the village, could they? No, Tsunade isn't that stupid…_

After two minutes of frantic searching, he finally sensed their chakra signatures in a building he knew far too well. They were situated in Naruto and Sakura's house. He felt himself relax and a sigh escaped his mouth. They were safe there. Not even bothering with handsigns, the Uchiha teleported to the front door with _Shunshin no Jutsu_. Knocking vigorously on the door, he waited for it to be opened in silence.

"Teme!" Naruto greeted as he opened the door. "It's good to see ya! We didn't expect you back for another day or so! "

"It was an easy mission." Sasuke grumbled as he entered without being invited. "Not even worth my time."

"Come on in." Naruto said sarcastically as he closed the door, but there was no venom behind his words. "Anyway, there's something I need to talk to you about Haine-chan."

Sasuke froze, and then slowly turned to face his best friend. "Nani?" He asked in an emotionless voice.

"Ah, well, you see." Naruto began, starting to sweat at the Uchiha's glare. _What's eating him?_ "Ano, she-"

"It looks like I got here just in time." A voice said from behind them, and that was when Naruto remembered that he forgot to lock the door. There, in the now opened doorway, stood Shino. In one of his hands were a small book, headphones, and a CD player.. "These are for you, Hinata-chan, and Haine-san." He said as he handed the items to Sasuke. "Hopefully it helps. Now I am off to finally meet the young Uchiha. Why? Because I wish to meet Hinata-chan's new sister and I hate being the last in the team to meet her." With a bow, the Aburame walked passed the two and headed to where he could sense Hinata and Haine, along with Sakura and the twins.

"Hey." Sasuke grumbled, about to follow the Aburame when he glanced at the stuff in his hands and froze. They were a book and an audio recording of Sex Education. Naruto laughed at the Uchiha's horrified expression. He kept laughing until he noticed that the stoic Uchiha hadn't moved for a good minute.

"Oi, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto called, waving a hand in front of his best friend's face. "Did you faint standing up?"

"Is this what you wanted to tell me?" Sasuke asked in a dead tone.

Naruto chuckled nervously, not meeting the Uchiha's eyes, and nodded. "Apparently she saw, or rather, heard a couple really going at it. They were making…noises." Naruto explained at Sasuke's confused faced, which quickly became horrified once again. "Yeah, and she started asking questions."

Sasuke was quiet for a few seconds before he groaned in resignation and leaned his whole body against one of the walls in the hallway, his back towards Naruto. He had just started to fear about guys coming after his sister…and she was the one asking questions. Granted, he rather she ask Hinata or him rather than someone like Shino or Kiba (Kami-sama forbid). He had nothing against Hinata's best friends, they were just a little too…well, they were womanizers, though Kiba had calmed down.

"Hey, cheer up Sasuke." Naruto said as he patted his pseudo brother on the back, dropping any honorific to show that he meant what he was saying. "At least she is coming to you for this. You never had anyone to go to for this type of thing, but she has you. You can give her what you never had; a brother that can answer all her questions."

"What…what if I fail her, Naruto?" Sasuke asked in a voice so soft that the Kyuubi vessel nearly missed it; a voice so vulnerable that the blond barely recognized it as the ex-Avenger's. "I've failed so many people…Otou-sama, Okaa-chan, Nii-san…you…Team 7...the entire village…it seems like I'm just destined to fail her too."

Naruto squeezed Sasuke's houlder to gain his attention before speaking. "You won't fail her, because you didn't fail me, or Team 7." At this, Sasuke turned to meet Naruto's eyes in confusion. "You came back, that's all we've ever asked for. To have our brother back. Plus, you haven't failed Hinata-chan."

"Yet…"

"No, I know you'll never fail her because you love her." Naruto said with so much conviction that Sasuke almost believed him…almost. "That's why you won't fail Haine-chan. You're not perfect, no one is, but you won't fail her in the ways that you fear. You no longer want to hurt people that you care about, so you won't. But you will fail her if you give up now, before you even tried."

It was in moments like these that Sasuke saw how great of a Hokage Naruto would make, and knew he would led The Village Hidden in the Leaves to heights it hasn't ever experienced since it's beginning. The blond had a power, a special power that made them believe in him. It made Sasuke believe in himself.

"Hn." Sasuke nodded, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Heh." Naruto smirked back, reverting to his goofy self. "Come on, let's go check on them. Hopefully, they haven't woken up the twins."

"Yeah." Sasuke said with a frown, not sure how he would do with a bunch of crying babies and not wanting to find out with a bunch of people around. Well, with Shino around.

The two men made their way to where everyone else was in the living room. When they got there, they found Haine feeling Shino's face, his sunglasses removed and out of the way.

"You're handsome, like onii-san!" Haine said happily and Naruto laughed at Sasuke's dark expression, signaling their entrance. She had been so focused on Shino that she hadn't even felt them approach, so she jumped slightly. "Sasuke-nii! You're back!" With that said, Haine threw herself into her brother's arms.

"Hn." The older Uchiha smiled as he held his sister tightly with his free arm, taking in her scent. Once he released her, he turned his attention to Hinata. "Hey."

"Welcome back, Sasuke-k-kun." She said shyly.

He walked up to her and gently caressed her cheek as he kissed her softly. It was short and sweet. When he pulled away, he realized that Haine was gazing at the two of them intently with a confused expression on her face.

Sasuke groaned internally.

"I think we need to have a little talk, Haine-chan." Sasuke said slowly as he separated himself from Hinata, who was blushing profusely.

"Are you gonna tell me about kissing?" She asked excitedly. No one had managed to explain it to her, so she was confused as to whether or not it was okay. Her brother and Hinata had just done it, so it must be ok, but then…

"Yes." Sasuke said n a strained voice as Naruto sniggered at his expense. Shino merely had an amused smirk on his face (which showed how much he was trying _not _to laugh), while Sakura giggled madly. It would be awkward as all hell, but he would talk to her about it. She needed to know about this, and as her older brother, it was his duty to talk to her about this stuff since their parents' couldn't. At ;least, that's what he kept telling himself so he wouldn't back out. Few things scared or embarrassed the hardened Uchiha but talking about sex…that was something that he really didn't want to do, but he would. For his sister, he would tell her about all the evils of men.

"Can I help?" Naruto asked hopefully, and Sakura smacked while trying to hold back her laughter.

"No." Sasuke said in a voice that broke no argument. He knew the blond just wanted to be there so he could laugh at him as he tried to explain this stuff to Haine. He looked at the books Shino had given him_. If these help…I'm taking Shino out to a round of sake._

* * *

And that's it! Sorry for the shortness of it, but like I said, this month has been really hard. Hopefully the next chapter will be better! Please review! They feed my brain with story juice!(gross?) lol oh, also! Who can guess why the title inclueds "Ashes and Fang"? 1st person gets to reguest a one-shot from me! Or something like that lol

~Star


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